Iraq has suspended crude oil shipments to Syria, a move confirmed by a member of the Iraqi parliament, Mustafa Sanad, via social media. The decision comes in the wake of growing security concerns in Syria, which has recently been overtaken by Islamist groups.
Sanad stated that Iraq had “decided to stop providing Syria with crude oil starting this month.”
In parallel, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussain expressed his alarm over the potential resurgence of terrorist activity in Syria. Speaking at an event in Baghdad, Hussain emphasized Iraq’s commitment to respecting the Syrian people’s choices but remained vigilant about the return of extremist organizations.
“Syria has been importing approximately 120,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Iraq, and now faces a significant supply disruption due to this decision,” said Hussain. The impact is compounded by the ongoing halt in internal crude oil deliveries from eastern Syria, controlled by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to the rest of Syria, which is under the control of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group once linked to Al-Qaeda.
In addition, Syria’s oil imports from Iran have ceased following a recent insurgency that toppled the Assad government. A tanker en route to Syria even reversed course after the political shift. Prior to the halt, Iran was supplying around 60,000 barrels of oil daily. Syria’s own production, mostly from eastern regions controlled by the SDF, amounts to about 80,000 barrels per day.
The abrupt supply disruptions have caused fuel prices in Syria to soar, with local sources reporting severe shortages at fuel stations. Transportation of gasoline and diesel from the country’s refineries has become increasingly difficult due to the ongoing political transition, leaving the nation in a precarious energy situation.
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