Iraq Exported 30 Million Barrels of Crude via Hormuz in One Month: Monitor

Iraq exported more than 30 million barrels of crude oil through the strategic Strait of Hormuz in a recent one-month period, data from maritime tracking firm Kpler revealed Tuesday. This figure highlights the continued importance of the waterway for the nation's oil shipments.

Prior to the Middle East conflict, which previously disrupted shipping through the vital strait, Iraq produced approximately four million barrels per day. Its average monthly exports then stood at 105 million barrels, primarily from its Basra oil terminal via Hormuz. The recent data indicates that between July 4 and August 4, around 30 million barrels of Iraqi crude passed through the strait, as detected by Kpler.

Ali Nizar, head of Iraq's State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), confirmed in a television interview Monday that Iraq's July exports via Hormuz ranged between 35.5 and 37 million barrels. An additional seven million barrels were exported through a pipeline connecting Iraq and Turkey, reaching the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

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35.5 to 37 million barrels

An Iraqi oil ministry spokesman, Salim al-Rikabi, told the state news agency INA on Tuesday that while some tankers passed through Hormuz after loading, the ministry does not hold responsibility for their chosen routes or necessary approvals. Data from SOMO indicates that in May and June, Iraq exported just over 32 million barrels of crude oil through various routes, with more than 20 million barrels originating from its southern port.

Crude oil exports typically constitute about 90 percent of Iraq's national revenue. Previously, these exports filled state coffers with up to $8 billion monthly. However, current revenues barely exceed $1.5 billion, according to the oil minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair last month, underscoring the economic challenges the country faces.

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the ministry is not responsible for their routes or the necessary approvals