Khaberni - The Northern Iraqi Oil Company stated that the export of crude oil from the Kirkuk fields to the Turkish port of Ceyhan was resumed through the pipeline today, Wednesday.
The resumption of oil pumping followed an agreement reached by the Baghdad government and the Kurdistan Region on Tuesday to restart the flows.
The Kurdistan Regional Government confirmed the agreement, stating in a declaration that both sides will form a joint committee to prepare for the resumption of oil exports via the region's pipeline, with revenues directed to the federal treasury.
The company mentioned that Kirkuk crude will be exported with an initial production capacity of 250,000 barrels per day.
The regional government added that the parties also agreed on taking necessary security measures to protect the oil fields and ensure the continuity of the export operations.
Global oil prices fell 1.46% to reach $101.91 per barrel on Wednesday, after increasing almost 30% above $100 per barrel since the beginning of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, which severely disrupted oil flows.
The need to resume exports as soon as possible
Kurdistan's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani wrote on the X platform saying: "The region will allow the export of crude oil via the Kurdistan pipeline as soon as possible."
“Given the exceptional circumstances confronting the country, and starting from the shared responsibility that compels us to overcome this difficult juncture, we have decided to allow the export of oil through the Kurdistan pipeline as soon as possible," he explained.
"In parallel, our negotiations with Baghdad to urgently lift restrictions on imports and commercial movements to the region will continue, and provide the necessary guarantees for oil and gas companies to resume production in a secure environment," he added.
Shortly thereafter, Barzani mentioned in a post on X that during a phone call with the US envoy Tom Barrack, he instructed his Kurdistan Regional Government team to provide all necessary facilities to resume oil exports in the interests of the citizens under difficult conditions.
On Sunday, authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan said Baghdad did not address the security and economic challenges facing the oil sector, rejecting Baghdad's accusation of not allowing crude export through the pipeline in the region.
This statement followed the Iraqi Ministry of Oil stating that the Kurdistan Regional Government refused to allow the use of the pipeline as an alternative route for oil flows disrupted by the war on Iran, accusing the authorities there of imposing arbitrary conditions.
