Outside of Hormuz, Iraq loses two million barrels of its disrupted export capacity via overland pipelines.
Outside of Hormuz, Iraq loses two million barrels of its disrupted export capacity via overland pipelines.
2026-03-28 02:47
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Oil expert Nabil Al-Marsoumi revealed on Saturday the extent of the “strategic vulnerability” that Iraq suffers as a result of its almost total dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that the country has an idle land export capacity of up to two million barrels per day, which remains hostage to legal and technical disputes.
According to the technical data reviewed by Al-Marsoumi in a post on social media, the waste in alternative export energy is distributed across two strategic routes towards the Mediterranean Sea, the first of which is the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline (ITP): which connects the Kirkuk fields to the Ceyhan port, with a design capacity of up to 1.5 million barrels per day.
Despite being the historical lifeline for northern exports, the two lines that make up this route are currently out of service and need comprehensive rehabilitation.
As for the Kurdistan Region pipeline, which also reaches Ceyhan, Turkey, with a capacity of 500,000 barrels, it currently exports only fluctuating quantities not exceeding 250,000 barrels, due to the legal complexities related to the export file.
Regional comparison: Neighborly resilience and Iraq’s vulnerability
Al-Marsoumi places Iraq in a numerical comparison with its neighbors to illustrate the gap in “energy security.” With regard to Saudi Arabia, it has succeeded in activating the East-West pipeline to export 3.8 million barrels per day through the port of Yanbu, with efforts to reach 5 million barrels.
The UAE also secures the export of 1.9 million barrels per day via the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Strategic summary: 90% risk
The analysis indicates that Iraq, due to the disruption of its northern routes, remains forced to export about 90% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz (through which 20 million barrels pass globally), making it the party most affected by disruptions to energy supply chains through the strait, compared to the resilience of its neighbors who have secured clear alternative routes.
Iraq is held hostage by the waterway.
Ultimately, the figures presented by Al-Marsoumi do not appear to be mere technical statistics, but rather a warning bell that requires serious attention; Iraq’s continued dependence on a single waterway in a volatile region puts the country’s economy and the future of its generations at risk.
Restoring the “northern lung” and activating the malfunctioning pipelines is no longer a political luxury or a technical option, but has become an existential necessity to ensure the flow of Iraq’s lifeline away from the fluctuations of the waves and the conflicts of the straits.
shafaq.com
