Iraq’s oil exports have fallen 75 percent because of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s oil minister, Basem Mohammed Khudair, has said. He said the sharp drop set in after the war between the United States, Israel and Iran began. The account could not be independently verified.
At a news conference, the Iraqi oil minister said that before the war Iraq exported about 3.4 million (34 lakh) barrels of oil a day through the Strait of Hormuz. Under current conditions, he said, the country’s oil exports have fallen significantly.
Khudair said Iraq is now producing about 2.7 million barrels a day, of which about 1.5 to 1.7 million are being exported.
He said it was urgent to build alternative export routes in future, and that the focus was on diversifying export infrastructure and alternative routes.
The oil minister also said Iraq had held talks with Iran to create an opportunity to export Iraqi oil through the Strait of Hormuz, but that no effective steps had yet begun.
Meanwhile, the government has opposed any kind of attack on oil companies in Iraq. Khudair said the government had agreed to compensate oil companies if they were damaged in an attack.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy transport routes, carries a vast share of global oil and gas. A blockade or security crisis on the route could therefore have a major impact on international energy markets.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report