Turkey proposes Iraq oil pipeline extension as Hormuz crisis bites

Turkey proposes Iraq oil pipeline extension as Hormuz crisis bites Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 15:45 Turkish energy minister says Iraq could transport half of its oil exports through Turkey if it extends Kirkuk pipeline to Basra A general view of the oil refinery at Zubair, southwest of Basra in southern Iraq, on 3 March 2016 (AFP) Off With Iran 's chokehold on exports through the Strait of Hormuz triggering an international energy crisis, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has proposed extending the oil pipeline that links Turkey and Iraq all the way to the southern port city of Basra. Turkey and Iraq have been connected by a 970-kms pipeline since 1976, linking Iraq’s oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk to the Turkish port city of Ceyhan. While a branch line carrying oil from Iraq’s Kurdistan region to Turkey has operated for years, the main Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has remained largely idle since an Islamic State attack on the infrastructure in 2014.