Iraq Asks Türkiye to Extend Kirkuk-Ceyhan Pipeline Deal
By Bosphorus News Energy Desk
Iraq has asked Türkiye to extend the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline agreement for at least one year, Reuters reported, citing a statement by Ali Nizar, head of Iraq's state oil marketer SOMO, on the company's website. Nizar said Baghdad wants more time to negotiate a new agreement before the existing one expires on July 27, and that Iraq has exported 12 million barrels of crude from its southern ports since the start of June.
The July 27 deadline traces back to Ankara, not Baghdad. Türkiye gave notice in July 2025 that it would end the decades-old Turkey-Iraq Crude Oil Pipeline Agreement, with the change taking effect one year later. Iraq's request would extend that timeline while the two sides negotiate a replacement text.
The original agreement dates to 1973 and has governed exports through Ceyhan for decades, covering both the federal pipeline system and the Kurdistan Regional Government's route through Khurmala to Fishkhabur.
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said any new agreement must include a mechanism to guarantee full use of the pipeline, which has a capacity of about 1.5 million barrels per day but has rarely run near that level. He said Ankara has proposed extending the pipeline south, an option tied to the Development Road project linking Basra to the Turkish border.
The request puts the Kirkuk-Ceyhan line back inside Iraq's northern export file after years of disruption and Baghdad-Erbil disputes over oil sales from the Kurdistan Region. The line has been offline since March 2023, when an arbitration court ruled Türkiye should pay Iraq 1.5 billion dollars in damages over unauthorized Kurdish exports between 2014 and 2018. Türkiye is appealing the ruling.
Baghdad has been trying to rebuild the northern corridor through Türkiye as pressure on southern routes and Gulf security risks give Ceyhan renewed value, as Bosphorus News reported in May. Ankara has kept Ceyhan, energy coordination and Iraq's federal dynamics connected in its contacts with the Kurdistan Regional Government, including recent exchanges with KRG leader Masoud Barzani, as Bosphorus News reported.
The new request does not mean exports have been restored or that Türkiye has accepted Baghdad's proposal. It shows Iraq wants to keep the legal track open while a new arrangement with Ankara is negotiated. Without a functioning northern route through Türkiye, Iraq remains more dependent on southern terminals and the Gulf export system. A one-year extension would give Iraqi officials more room to negotiate while avoiding a legal cliff in a corridor that remains difficult to replace.
Sources: Reuters, Bosphorus News review and reporting.