Iraq-Turkey pipeline outlook unclear despite deal
Major issues remain despite agreement between Iraq and Kurdistan
It is a strange victory. Iraq won the crucial pipeline arbitration, but its prize is much less than it hoped. Turkey, which had wanted to compromise, comes out as the enforcer. And despite an apparent breakthrough in talks, the Kurdistan region—not even a party to the case—is the loser on both sides. Back in 2014, the autonomous Kurdistan region, which operates its own petroleum sector despite Baghdad’s claims of supremacy, began exporting oil via a link to the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, originally built in 1976 from Iraq’s Kirkuk fields to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. In May 2014, Iraq's federal oil ministry filed for arbitration in Paris against Turkey and the country's national pipe

Also in this section
25 July 2025
KRG, Iraq’s central government and Turkey are all working to get exports flowing from the key port, but complications remain
25 July 2025
Mozambique’s insurgency continues, but the security situation near the LNG site has significantly improved, with TotalEnergies aiming to lift its force majeure within months
25 July 2025
There is a bifurcation in the global oil market as China’s stockpiling contrasts with reduced inventories elsewhere
24 July 2025
The reaction to proposed sanctions on Russian oil buyers has been muted, suggesting trader fatigue with Trump’s frequent bold and erratic threats