Turkey and Iraq Sign Interim One-Year Ceyhan Pipeline Deal
At a Glance
- Interim Accord Secured: Turkey and Iraq signed a one-year pipeline deal.
- Securing Export Capacity: The pact establishes a 750,000-barrel daily capacity.
- High-Level Bilateral Summit: Energy ministers met Saturday to finalize terms.
The Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has announced a one-year agreement between BOTAS and Iraqi state oil entities, State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) and North Oil Company (NOC), aimed at ensuring the efficient and effective utilization of the Iraq–Turkey Crude Oil Pipeline.
Key Statements and Focus Area
- Infrastructure Optimization: The ministry noted the goal is to "fully utilize this robust infrastructure at maximum capacity."
- Global Energy Security: Officials stated delivering crude via Ceyhan remains critical for "regional and global energy security."
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar met with Iraqi Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair and his accompanying delegation on Saturday.
The Turkish Ministry announced a temporary transit arrangement for the pipeline with a daily capacity of 750,000 barrels. This measure ensures continued operations while negotiations for a new long-term agreement continue.
The ministry noted that recent global oil market developments highlight the pipeline's strategic importance, adding that safely delivering Iraqi crude via Ceyhan remains critical for regional and global energy security.
“Our goal is to fully utilize this robust infrastructure at maximum capacity to realize a comprehensive and long-term cooperation that will open the door to a new era in the Turkey-Iraq energy partnership, delivering the energy resources of the region, as well as Iraq, to world markets via Ceyhan,” the ministry added.
FYI
Iraq’s oil sector has recently faced severe financial and operational disruptions due to the outbreak of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran in late February 2026, which triggered a blockade and massive disruption of maritime traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Last week, an official from the North Oil Company (NOC) told Channel8 that total oil exports through the Kurdistan Region's pipeline to Turkey's Port of Ceyhan reached 193,000 barrels on Monday.
Days before the historic 1973 Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP) treaty expired on July 27, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The leaders advanced plans for the $17 billion "Development Road"—a strategic land corridor featuring motorways, railways, and pipelines connecting Iraq's southern Basra port directly to Europe via Turkey, thereby vastly minimizing dependency on Gulf maritime routes.
Concurrently, Turkey’s state-owned oil company, Turkish Petroleum (TPAO), signed a share-transfer agreement with BP.
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