Iraq’s newly appointed Oil Minister, Basim Khudair, announced on Saturday that Baghdad is seeking to increase crude oil exports through Turkey’s Ceyhan Port to 500,000 barrels per day.

Speaking during a press conference in Baghdad after officially assuming office, Khudair stated that Iraq is currently exporting around 200,000 barrels of oil per day from the northern province of Kirkuk to the Turkish port.

However, the minister acknowledged that the government’s plan to significantly expand exports through Turkey faces major obstacles. Several oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region have suspended operations due to ongoing regional unrest, making the export target difficult to achieve under current conditions.

Khudair revealed that before the escalation of conflict in the region, Iraq exported an average of 93 million barrels of crude oil per month. In contrast, the Iraqi Oil Ministry managed to export only 10 million barrels in April as tensions intensified across the Middle East.

He warned that Iraq’s oil exports are unlikely to return to previous levels if instability and conflict continue in the region.

According to the minister, Iraq’s current oil production has been reduced to approximately 1.4 million barrels per day due to the ongoing regional crisis.

Khudair also called on OPEC to recognize Iraq’s need to increase oil production in order to generate sufficient revenues for public services, infrastructure rehabilitation, and operational expenditures.