Iraq and Turkey have signed an agreement to increase supplies of Iraqi oil through the Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Baghdad hopes this will help diversify export routes and reduce dependence on maritime shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the Associated Press reports.

Under the agreement, which will remain in force for one year, at least 750,000 barrels of oil per day are to be exported through the pipeline. At the same time, the parties intend to prepare a broader cooperation agreement covering energy, electricity, and water resources.

The decision comes amid disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in February. Before the conflict, Iraq exported about 3.5 million barrels of oil per day, with the bulk of supplies passing through the country’s southern terminals in the Persian Gulf.

The Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline has been barely used since 2023 after exports from Iraqi Kurdistan were halted because of legal and commercial disputes. Supplies were partially resumed last year, but the current agreement is expected to significantly increase volumes.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called the agreement an “important strategic step” to ensure the stability of the country’s oil exports and strengthen economic cooperation with Turkey.

Iraq remains one of the Middle Eastern countries most dependent on oil revenues: oil exports provide the bulk of state budget income. In the future, Baghdad is also considering the construction of new pipelines that could link the country’s south, via western regions, with Turkey and the Syrian coast.