Iraq’s cabinet approved on Tuesday two projects to develop new export systems for the nation.
It approved the establishment of a pipeline to transport crude oil from oilfields in Rumaila, in Basra, to Aqaba, a port in Jordan. This would increase export capacity by one million barrels per day, according to a statement by the nation’s oil ministry.
The second project would see an island and export system established in the Persian Gulf, with an export capacity of two million barrels per day. The statement noted that this could support quicker action in supplying giant oil tankers.
This comes in a climate of increased tension as a total of six tankers have been attacked in recent months; Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said that if trade through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted, this would be a “major obstacle” to his country’s economy.Â
