#iraqoilexportsfall75% Iraq has the oil
. The problem is getting it out.
After shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted,
Iraq’s crude exports
fell from nearly 3.4 million barrels per day to around 1.5–1.7 million—even as production remained near 2.7 million barrels per day.
That gap exposes a structural weakness: much of Iraq’s southern crude depends on one maritime chokepoint to reach overseas buyers. When the route closes, storage fills, production may be cut, government revenue comes under pressure and refiners must compete for replacement barrels.
Baghdad is now pursuing two longer-term alternatives:
• An export route through Jordan’s Port of Aqaba
• The proposed Basra–Fishkhabur pipeline toward northern export links
Both could reduce Iraq’s dependence on Hormuz—but pipelines require major financing, regional coordination, security and years of construction.
The bigger lesson: energy security is not only about reserves or production capacity. It is also about having more than one reliable way to reach the market.$CL $ZAMA $RSR
. The problem is getting it out.
After shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted,
Iraq’s crude exports
fell from nearly 3.4 million barrels per day to around 1.5–1.7 million—even as production remained near 2.7 million barrels per day.
That gap exposes a structural weakness: much of Iraq’s southern crude depends on one maritime chokepoint to reach overseas buyers. When the route closes, storage fills, production may be cut, government revenue comes under pressure and refiners must compete for replacement barrels.
Baghdad is now pursuing two longer-term alternatives:
• An export route through Jordan’s Port of Aqaba
• The proposed Basra–Fishkhabur pipeline toward northern export links
Both could reduce Iraq’s dependence on Hormuz—but pipelines require major financing, regional coordination, security and years of construction.
The bigger lesson: energy security is not only about reserves or production capacity. It is also about having more than one reliable way to reach the market.$CL $ZAMA $RSR