In a significant development for the region’s energy exports, crude oil from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has been shipped to the United States for the first time since the reopening of the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP). A tanker loaded with approximately 1 million barrels of northern Iraqi crude from Ceyhan port delivered its cargo to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port in late 2024. This shipment was made possible by a U.S.-facilitated interim deal between Baghdad and Erbil, marking a pivotal step in restoring the region’s oil exports and providing U.S. refiners with desired medium sour crude.
