According to Kurdpress, Iraq's oil export crisis following widespread disruption of oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has once again turned the "Kirkuk-Jehan" pipeline and the Kurdistan region's oil export route through Turkey into one of the most important options for Baghdad to bypass the current deadlock. The new report of the Oil Price website shows that the Iraqi government is now rapidly reviving the northern routes of oil export. This route was almost out of orbit in recent years due to differences between Baghdad and Erbil, security attacks and legal cases.

According to this report, Iraq's oil production fell to around 1.39 million barrels per day in April; While before the beginning of the regional crisis and disruption in Hormuz, the country's production was more than 4 million barrels per day. Iraq's economy, more than 90% of its budget depends on oil revenues, is now looking for alternative ways to export its oil.

The historical pipeline "Kirkuk-Ceyhan" is located; A line about 960 kilometers long that transports oil from Kirkuk fields to Türkiye's Ceyhan port on the Mediterranean coast and is considered the largest oil export route in northern Iraq. This pipeline has been active since the 1970s, but since 2014, due to ISIS attacks, security problems, and then oil disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, it has experienced long interruptions.

After that, the Kurdistan Region started exporting oil independently by building its own independent pipeline from Tagtag and Taukeh fields to Fishkhabour and connecting it to the Kirkuk-Jihan line. An action that was a source of tension between the central government of Iraq and Erbil for years. These tensions finally ended in March 2023 after the international arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad, stopping the export of oil from the region through Türkiye.

Now Haran Hormuz has changed the equations. In March 2026, Baghdad and Erbil reached a temporary agreement to resume oil exports from the Jehan route. According to this agreement, the initial export has started with a capacity of about 170,000 to 250,000 barrels per day, and Iraq plans to increase this figure to 500,000 barrels per day.

At the same time, the Iraqi government is trying to rebuild a part of the old Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which has been inactive for years, in order to transfer Kirkuk's oil directly to Turkey without passing through the infrastructure of the Kurdistan Region. The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has announced that the reconstruction of about 100 km of this route has been prioritized.

The report also points to new geopolitical competition around these routes. According to this media, China has increased its presence in Iraq's energy infrastructure projects and Chinese companies have found an active role in Iraq's north-south pipeline development projects; An issue that can change the balance of influence between America, Türkiye and China in Iraq's energy sector.

While the Strait of Hormuz is still facing insecurity and traffic restrictions, the Kurdistan Regional Pipeline and the Kirkuk-Jehan route have once again become the vital artery of Iraq's oil exports; Of course, its future depends not only on technical and security issues, but also on the level of political agreement. Baghdad, Erbil and Ankara will also be dependent