Iran Grants Iraqi Oil Tankers Passage Through Strait of Hormuz After Baghdad’s Repeated Requests
Iran has agreed to let a number of Iraqi oil tankers transit through the Strait of Hormuz, responding for weeks of appeals from Baghdad through multiple diplomatic channels, state news agency IRNA reported Saturday.
The concession marks a rare easing of Tehran’s grip on the strategic waterway, which it has effectively kept closed to most shipping since the war with the United States and Israel began earlier this year.
According to IRNA, securing special clearance for Iraqi vessels was one of the central tasks Baghdad raised during a recent visit by Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
Iraqi President Nizar Amedi confirmed the development Saturday, telling the Baghdad Dialogue policy conference that Iran had facilitated passage for several vessels carrying Iraqi crude in recent days, though he cautioned that arrangements around the export route remain complicated.
The strait, which typically carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, has seen traffic collapse to a fraction of pre-war levels since Tehran tightened control over the passage in response to US and Israeli strikes.
Iraq has been among the hardest-hit nations, having slashed its own oil output sharply after storage facilities filled up amid the disruption, forcing Baghdad to also pursue alternative export routes, including the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey.
Tehran has previously extended similar carve-outs to other countries seen as friendly or unaligned with Washington, including Malaysia, Thailand and India, while explicitly barring vessels linked to what it calls “enemy” states.
Analysts say the selective approach allows Iran to maintain leverage over the corridor — through which US officials say daily oil flows remain far below normal — without fully surrendering the pressure it has placed on global energy markets since the conflict began.
Ships transiting the strait continue to face intermittent attacks, and it remains unclear whether Saturday’s announcement signals a broader or permanent opening for Iraqi trade, as IRNA did not specify how many tankers had been cleared so far.
