Iranian Oil Minister: Door open for Kurdistan oil pipeline

TEHRAN, Iran (Kurdistan24) – Iran’s door is open for a Kurdistan Region’s oil pipeline to run through the Persian Gulf, an Iranian official said on Friday.

In a statement to a Kurdistan24 correspondent in Tehran, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh stated Tehran does not object a Kurdish oil pipeline running through Iran.

He added the Iranian government would welcome the move.

“We have often told our friends in the Kurdistan Region and the Federal Government of Iraq they should request and take the initiative from their side,” Zanganeh said.

The Minister mentioned Iran was ready to help connect the Kurdistan oil pipeline to the Persian Gulf through Kermanshah (Kermanshan) Province.  

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials have not made any comments about the matter.

In March 2017, some media reported the KRG and Tehran had reached an agreement to construct two oil pipelines through Iran to export Kurdish oil abroad.  

In a statement at the beginning of April, the Iranian Oil Ministry rejected rumors of having reached any deal with the KRG.

The Oil Ministry said the agreement would depend on negotiations and the result of meetings with authorities in Iraq.

The Kurdistan Region exports about 600,000 barrels of oil per day through an oil pipeline in Turkey’s Ceyhan port which is later transferred to international oil markets.

Over 90 percent of the Region’s revenue hinges on oil, according to statistics released by the KRG.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany 

(Kurdistan24 correspondent Qadir Darweshpur contributed to this report)