A project to transport Iraqi oil through Turkish, Syrian and Jordanian ports

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, stated yesterday that the “Basra – Haditha – Multi-Directional” oil pipeline project will ensure flexibility in transporting crude oil towards the Turkish port of Ceyhan and the Syrian ports of Baniyas and Aqaba in Jordan, and provide flexibility to feed the central and northern refineries and raise their production capabilities in various circumstances.

Al-Sudani confirmed, during a meeting of his senior aides in the Ministries of Oil and Industry, to follow up on the “Basra – Haditha – Multi-Directional” oil pipeline project, that the project, when it was proposed, represented “a proactive forecast of the current regional conditions, and a response to the possibility of obstructing the current export paths, in addition to its importance in sustaining Iraq’s oil wealth, preserving energy sources and the momentum of the wheel of national economic development.”

Al-Sudani directed the formation of a special body to implement the project, headed by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil, with the membership of the Prime Minister’s specialized advisors, and the relevant general directors in the Ministries of “Oil” and “Industry and Minerals.”

According to a statement by the Iraqi government, the Ministers of Oil, Industry and Minerals provided a detailed explanation of the project and the stalling points it faced during the last stage, processing mechanisms and accelerating the pace of work, as well as a presentation of the follow-up procedures for the two implementation contracts, the first, signed on August 11, 2024, between the Basra Oil Company and the Oil Projects Company in the Ministry of Oil, and the second signed on January 7, 2025 between the Oil Projects Company and the General Iron and Steel Company in the Ministry of Industry and Minerals.

The meeting also witnessed the discussion of the technical details of the important strategic project, whereby the financing of the project was approved by allocating an amount of one billion and 500 million dollars, during the current year, to be financed in accordance with the Iraqi-Chinese agreement, noting that the total estimated cost of the project amounts to five billion dollars.

It is noteworthy that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, even partially, led to the disruption of oil flows from the Gulf region, which directly affected the exports of the countries of the region and Iraq, which relies heavily on the southern ports linked to this vital corridor.