Iraqi PM Tells UN: Baghdad Plans New Energy Routes via Turkey, Syria, Jordan
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zeydi said Baghdad is developing energy lines connecting Iraq to Turkey, Jordan and Syria. The existing northern pipeline runs through the federal Kurdistan Region.
RastinewsIraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zeydi told the United Nations' 81st General Assembly that Baghdad aims to turn Iraq into a global energy hub by expanding its export routes through Turkey, Jordan and Syria.
Al-Zeydi said Iraq is working to diversify its oil export ports and develop energy lines linking the country to the three neighbors, with the goal of strengthening energy security and diversifying supply routes.
Hormuz crisis reshapes routes
The Iraqi prime minister noted that instability in maritime shipping, including disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, has driven global energy prices higher.
Among the projects on Baghdad's agenda is a pipeline linking Basra in the south to Haditha in the west, then on to Turkey's Ceyhan port and Syria's Baniyas port on the Mediterranean coast. A yet-to-be-built line connecting Basra to Jordan's Aqaba port is also under discussion as an alternative route.
Meetings with Erdogan and al-Sharaa
During his time in New York, al-Zeydi met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the General Assembly on September 23. The Iraqi prime minister also held his first-ever meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in New York.
Addressing domestic security in his speech, al-Zeydi said decisions on war and peace would remain solely within the authority of the Iraqi state.
The remarks were reported by The National and Türkiye Today.
Northern line runs through Kurdistan Region
Iraq's existing export pipeline to Turkey runs through the federal Kurdistan Region on its way to Ceyhan. The line is also vital to the Kurdistan Region's economy.
The Iraq-Turkey pipeline was shut down after the International Court of Arbitration ruled on March 25, 2023, that Turkey had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement. Exports through the line resumed on September 27, 2025, after a two-and-a-half-year halt caused by a revenue-sharing dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The war launched by the US and Israel against Iran in February, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, had increased Ankara's importance for Baghdad. In August 2026, Iraq and Turkey signed an agreement extending use of the pipeline by one year while negotiations on a long-term deal continued. Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government and oil companies in the region also renewed the tripartite agreement covering Ceyhan exports until January 27.