Ships in the Strait of Hormuz, at Musandam (Oman), on May 15, 2026. (Credit: Reuters)
Iraq's oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, a key issue in the Middle East conflict, fell by nearly a factor of ten in April compared to prewar months, the country's new oil minister said Saturday.
"Iraq previously exported 93 million barrels per month via the Strait of Hormuz, but in April we exported only 10 million, because of the war," Bassem Mohammed Khudair said as he took office following the formation of a new government on Thursday.
A founding member of the OPEC oil exporters' alliance, Iraq normally exports the majority of its crude oil through this route, which has been almost completely blocked by Iran since the start of the U.S.-Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28.
Baghdad nevertheless announced last month that it had reached an agreement with the United States and Iran to reduce the impact of the strait's blockade on its oil exports. Two tankers docked at terminals in the southern province of Basra in April.
Iraq previously exported around 3.5 million barrels per day, an activity that accounted for 90 percent of state budget revenue. The country has launched a convoy of tanker trucks to Syria to maintain exports, but volumes are much lower than those moved by sea. A pipeline with a capacity of 250,000 barrels per day also links Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.
On Friday, Iranian state television announced that the Revolutionary Guard was now allowing more ships to pass through the strait, which, before the war, handled one-fifth of the world's exports of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
