Türkiye and Iraq have signed a one‑year agreement to pump at least 750,000 barrels of oil per day through the Kirkuk‑Ceyhan pipeline, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi announced.
According to the Prime Minister, relevant companies are already beginning to implement the contract, while the two countries will also prepare a comprehensive partnership agreement in the oil, energy, and water sectors.
The deal was signed between Turkish operator BOTAŞ and Iraq's state‑owned SOMO. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar stressed that the route's strategic importance has grown sharply due to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 million barrels per day have been blocked.
The 965‑kilometre pipeline, launched in the 1970s with a maximum capacity of 1.6 million barrels per day, has now become virtually the only export channel for Iraqi oil.
