The Iraqi presidency stresses the need to find a solution for oil exports and calls on the governments of Baghdad and Erbil to cooperate.
The Iraqi presidency stresses the need to find a solution for oil exports and calls on the governments of Baghdad and Erbil to cooperate.
2026-03-17 09:43
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Iraqi Presidency called on the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government on Tuesday evening to find an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports, stressing the importance of cooperation and joint action between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve all outstanding disputes between the two sides.
The Media Department of the Presidency of the Republic said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency: “In the current sensitive circumstances that our dear country is going through, we affirm our commitment to the unity of the national ranks of all the sons of the Iraqi people, and the necessity of avoiding side disputes that do not serve the public interest. This stage requires more solidarity and unity, not division and discord.”
The Presidency of the Republic affirmed that “finding a way to export Iraqi oil is an important matter that serves the country’s best interests. In this context, we call on the federal government and the Kurdistan Region to cooperate fully in order to resume oil exports and to work together to resolve all outstanding disputes, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the law.”
She added: “We have followed the positive signs issued by the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government in this regard, and we hope that these steps will be strengthened in a way that contributes to addressing this vital issue, enhances economic stability, and serves the interests of citizens throughout the country.”
She called on the House of Representatives to “act with a spirit of national responsibility, to prioritize the interest of the nation above all other considerations, and to work to avoid disputes, because the interest of Iraq must remain above all considerations.”
The war that broke out on February 28, 2026, between the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other, caused an almost complete paralysis of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the passage through which 20% of the world’s energy exports and about 4.5% of total annual global trade pass, leading to a decline in navigation to very low levels.
As a result of the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Iraqi oil production has fallen sharply from 4.3 million barrels per day to 1.3 million barrels per day.
This decline has led to Iraqi exports falling to less than 800,000 barrels per day, and a loss of $128 million per day after oil production stopped, according to the “Eco Iraq” observatory.
shafaq.com
