Iran Grants Passage to Iraqi Oil Tankers Through Strait of Hormuz

Iran has granted permission for an unspecified number of Iraqi oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report from Iran’s state news agency IRNA on Saturday. The move follows repeated diplomatic requests from Baghdad to gain access to the critical maritime chokepoint for its crude exports.

Diplomatic Efforts Yield Results

The decision was a key objective for Baghdad during a recent visit to Iraq by Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, IRNA reported. Speaking at the Baghdad Dialogue policy conference on Saturday, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi confirmed that Iran had facilitated the passage of vessels carrying Iraqi crude in recent days.

Despite the progress, Amedi noted that the issue remained complicated. Iraq has been one of the nations most significantly impacted by Iran's effective closure of the strait, a vital artery for global oil shipments where traffic remains well below pre-conflict levels and security risks persist.

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Iraq Seeks to Restore Exports

Restoring consistent export routes is critical for Iraq, which produced around 4 million barrels of oil per day before the outbreak of the Iran war. The disruptions at Hormuz have forced Baghdad to seek alternative pathways to bring its crude to international markets.

On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi stated that the country is actively working to expand its export capacity through other channels. These efforts include increasing shipments via Turkey’s Ceyhan port and exploring options to begin exporting through Syria’s Baniyas port and Jordan’s Aqaba port.