Iraq’s oil exports hit 3 million barrels per day

An oil tanker is seen off the port of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran. Photo: AFP Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Oil Minister Basim Khudair confirmed on Tuesday that oil exports for August reached approximately 70 million barrels, with daily shipments exceeding three million barrels. In a televised interview, Khudair explained that the deals the ministry reached to transport oil through the Turkish port of Ceyhan raised the volumes to 600,000 barrels per day, the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported. Iraq’s oil exports fluctuated during September 2026, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions related to the Middle East war and Baghdad’s efforts to diversify its export routes. The spokesperson for the Iraqi Oil Ministry, Salim al-Rikabi, told Attaqa News that exports started at three million barrels per day at the beginning of September but have since gradually declined to about 2.4 million barrels per day at present. Despite a decline in Iraqi oil exports during September, the figures still surpassed the average daily exports in August, which were approximately 2.35 million barrels per day. This increase was bolstered by enhanced shipping traffic and a decrease in shipping disruptions in the Gulf over the past few weeks. In early September, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called for an increase in oil output to reach 10 million barrels per day by 2030. According to al-Zaidi, Iraq’s oil output should be proportionate to its reserves, oil production capabilities, and the growing number of the population, allowing it to satisfy its residents’ needs as well as development requirements. The prime minister indicated that it is important to improve infrastructure and export capacity to meet the expected rise in output. Iraq’s oil production reached approximately 4.5 million barrels per day by the end of 2025. Al-Zaidi directed an increase in output from oil fields in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the expansion of exploration activities to achieve the plan’s objectives and reach a production capacity of 10 million barrels per day by 2030.