Iraq seeks oil routes through Turkey and Syria to bypass Hormuz

BERLIN – Iraq plans to diversify its oil export routes through Turkey and Syria towards European and Western markets, Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi said on Tuesday, declaring that Baghdad could not remain dependent on a single corridor as the war in the region disrupts energy flows.

“We want to expand and diversify our export routes,” Zaidi told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, the second stop on his European tour after France.

“Iraq cannot remain hostage to a single corridor,” Zaidi said, referring to the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the war between Iran and the United States.

Baghdad is working to distribute part of its crude exports through Turkey and another share towards Syria, allowing more Iraqi oil to reach the Mediterranean and then European and Western markets, Zaidi said.

The pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan has a capacity of about 1.25 million barrels per day, while Iraq is working towards transporting 1 million bpd towards Syria in an initial phase, with plans to expand that route later, he said.

The oil transported through the alternative routes would be aimed primarily at Western markets, including Europe and the United States.

Zaidi said he had discussed the possibility of selling Iraqi crude arriving through the Mediterranean with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday and had raised the issue with Merz in Berlin.

Iraq’s crude exports have traditionally been heavily dependent on shipments through the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the country’s main source of government revenue vulnerable to regional conflict and disruptions to maritime traffic. Oil sales account for nearly 90 percent of Iraq’s revenues, according to the material supplied for the visit.

Before the war began in February, Iraq produced around 4 million barrels per day and exported an average of about 3.4 million bpd, most of it through Hormuz. China and India have been among its largest buyers.

The disruption to maritime exports has prompted Baghdad to seek alternatives, including tanker transport through Syria and the northern pipeline route to Ceyhan, although the alternative corridors have so far handled only a fraction of Iraq’s normal sea-bound exports.

Zaidi said Iraq could eventually double its oil exports through the Mediterranean and plans to raise national production to between 9 million and 10 million bpd.

“A large share, or nearly half, can go to European countries and the West,” he said.

The Iraqi prime minister also revealed that Baghdad had floated the idea of building a pipeline linking Iraq directly with Germany, saying such a route could provide more secure and stable supplies.

The proposed expansion of export routes comes as Iraq faces pressure to strengthen state control over weapons and as US-led military forces reduce their presence in the country.

Powerful armed factions have resisted calls to surrender their weapons to the state, raising questions over the Iraqi government’s ability to fill security gaps as the foreign military presence declines, particularly in air defence, countering armed groups and protecting critical infrastructure.

Zaidi said Iraqi forces were now capable of controlling the country’s territory, while strengthening the country’s ability to protect its airspace was the current priority.

“Iraq today does not need support,” he said, adding that the security forces were “in control and capable of protecting our country”.

He reiterated that weapons would ultimately be under state control and that the government alone would have authority over decisions of war and peace.

“Weapons will be in the hands of the state, and the decision of war and peace is exclusively in the hands of the state,” Zaidi said.

The prime minister also said he and Merz had discussed the crisis between Iran and the United States and shared a desire to help de-escalate it.

The conflict, Zaidi said, was no longer confined to the two countries but was affecting the wider world, including Iraqi oil exports and international markets.

Merz said Germany was concerned about the impact of the regional conflict on energy markets, particularly after Iran-aligned Houthi forces consolidated their position around the Bab el-Mandab waterway at the entrance to the Red Sea.

“This further exacerbates the situation on the energy markets, and also affects Germany,” Merz said.

Iraq and Germany also discussed expanding economic and investment ties, with Baghdad seeking German technology, expertise and companies for development projects.

Merz said German companies were already active in Iraq, including in the energy sector, and pointed to a planned agreement on Iraq’s electricity supply.

The two governments have been seeking to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, migration and economic reform, while Baghdad has previously proposed a joint Iraqi-German fund to finance industrial development projects.

Germany has provided Iraq with more than 3.6 billion euros in development, cooperation and security assistance over the years, giving Berlin a significant role in Iraq’s reconstruction and institutional development.

During Zaidi’s visit to Berlin, Iraq and Siemens Energy also signed the fourth phase of their energy cooperation framework, covering new generation and transmission projects, maintenance, financing and the training of Iraqi staff.

The agreement includes plans for new combined-cycle and thermal power plants, new substations, upgrades to existing transmission facilities and measures to address bottlenecks in Iraq’s electricity grid.