Iran has granted special permission for a number of Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following a request from the Iraqi government, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
IRNA reported on Saturday, August 22, that securing special passage for Iraqi oil tankers was among Baghdad’s key requests during Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s recent visit to Iraq.
The report said Iraq’s parliament speaker raised the issue during a meeting with Ghalibaf, arguing that Iraq’s heavy dependence on oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz requires measures to protect the country’s economic interests.
Iraq relies heavily on oil revenues, with crude oil exports accounting for around 90% of its annual budget revenues.
According to Kpler data cited in the report, India, China and South Korea are among the main buyers of Iraqi crude, while access to these Asian markets depends heavily on shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iraq’s oil minister had previously said that the country’s oil exports fell by more than 75% following the closure of the Strait.
Iran had previously authorized the passage of some Iraqi oil tankers through the waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said less than a month after the start of the U.S. military attack on Iran in April that Iraq was among several countries granted permission to transit the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict.
Araghchi said Iran’s armed forces had facilitated safe passage through the waterway for certain countries, including what he described as friendly states, naming China, Russia, Pakistan and Iraq.
The latest reported permits come as restrictions on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continue to disrupt Iraqi oil exports and complicate access to key Asian markets.
The Strait is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, making any restrictions on tanker traffic highly significant for both regional economies and global oil markets.
