Iraq’s monthly oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz dropped sharply in April as the conflict-linked blockade of the strategic waterway disrupted shipments across the region, the country’s new oil minister said on Saturday. Speaking during a ceremony marking his appointment, Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said Iraq exported only 10 million barrels through the strait last month, compared with its usual monthly volume of 93 million barrels.
“Iraq previously exported 93 million barrels per month through the Strait of Hormuz, but last April we exported only 10 million barrels due to the war,” Khudair said.
A founding member of the Opec alliance, Iraq relies heavily on the Strait of Hormuz for crude exports. The country, along with other oil producers in the region, has been seeking alternative export routes after Iran imposed a blockade on the passage.
Khudair also said Iraq’s southern oil terminals received two tankers in April to load Iraqi crude.