ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi oil exports via Turkey resumed on Wednesday after an agreement was reached with the Kurdistan Region the night prior, the North Oil Company (NOC) announced, hailing it as a “significant achievement” with the Strait of Hormuz remaining constrained. 

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced on Tuesday that Erbil and Baghdad had reached an agreement to export Iraqi oil through the Kurdistan Region to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. 

The breakthrough came following negotiations between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government, amid the turmoil at the Strait of Hormuz – through which Iraq exports almost all of its oil.

“The North Oil Company commenced operations, signaling the resumption of pumping and exporting Kirkuk oil to the Ceyhan port, with an initial export capacity of 250,000 barrels per day,” NOC said in a statement.

It hailed the step as a “significant achievement, reflecting the will to overcome challenges and the ability of national personnel to overcome difficulties.” 

The agreement also came amid disagreements between Erbil and Baghdad. On Sunday, the Iraqi oil ministry accused the Kurdistan Region of refusing to “resume exports at this time,” demanding that Erbil resume exports “immediately.”

Hours later, the Region’s Ministry of Natural Resources responded to Baghdad’s statements, blaming the Iraqi government for overlooking an ongoing economic embargo on the Region and failure to put an end to state-linked pro-Iran factions’ attacks on infrastructure.