Iraq-Türkiye Oil Pipeline Remains Operational Despite Agreement Expiry

Reuters

Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

Crude oil exports from Kirkuk to Türkiye’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan are expected to continue without disruption, despite the expiry of the bilateral agreement governing the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline, as Baghdad and Ankara continue negotiations over a 12-month extension.

Two Turkish sources told Reuters on Thursday that oil flows through the pipeline are likely to remain uninterrupted while discussions continue on a temporary arrangement to maintain exports during negotiations for a new agreement.

The decades-old accord regulating the operation of the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline expired on Monday, 27 July 2026. However, Iraq and Türkiye did not sign the anticipated extension during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s visit to Ankara, where he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday.

One of the sources said the pipeline, which is Baghdad’s only operational crude export route, will remain in service while both sides work towards an interim agreement to safeguard oil flows until a new framework is finalised.

Neither Türkiye’s Ministry of Energy nor Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has issued an official statement on the pipeline’s status following the expiry of the previous agreement.

Earlier this month, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said the two countries had reached an understanding to extend the agreement by one year and confirmed that negotiations were in their final stages. Nevertheless, no extension was signed during the Iraqi Prime Minister’s visit, although President Erdoğan reiterated that both countries are seeking to conclude a comprehensive energy cooperation agreement as soon as possible.

The proposed temporary extension is expected to give Baghdad and Ankara additional time to negotiate a wider-ranging deal that would not only guarantee the continued operation of the pipeline but also expand its capacity and connect it to new oil-producing areas.

Türkiye is seeking to increase utilisation of the pipeline, which has a design capacity of around 1.5 million barrels per day, and is also considering extending it to oil fields in southern Iraq.

According to Turkish data, the pipeline currently carries around 170,000 barrels of crude per day, representing roughly 11 per cent of its maximum capacity.


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