Iraqi oil production collapses with Strait of Hormuz blocked by conflict, sources say

Source: Reuters

March 8, 2026 12:56 PM EDT Updated 45 mins ago


BAGHDAD, March 8 (Reuters) - Iraqi oil ‌production from its main southern oilfields has fallen by 70% to just 1.3 million barrels per day as the country is unable to export oil via the Strait of Hormuz due to ​the Iran war, three industry sources said on Sunday. Production from the fields ​stood at around 4.3 million bpd before the war.

"Crude storage has ⁠reached maximum capacity and the remaining output after the major cut will be ​used to supply the country’s refineries," said an official with the state‑run Basra Oil ​Company (BOC), which manages production and export operations from the southern fields.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow, strategically vital waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is one of the ​world's key oil transit chokepoints, carrying roughly a fifth of global oil and ​liquefied natural gas flows.

The OPEC member's exports also fell sharply to an average of around 800,000 ‌barrels ⁠per day on Sunday, with only two tankers loading because vessels cannot move freely through the strait to Iraq's southern terminals, the source said. With no new tankers able to reach Iraq’s southern terminals, exports from there are expected to halt completely ​at around 8 p.m. ​local time (1700 GMT), ⁠said two oil officials with direct knowledge of terminal operations.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iraqi-oil-production-collapses-with-strait-hormuz-blocked-by-conflict-sources-2026-03-08/