Iraq begins nationwide production shutdowns
With exports halted by war, Iraq has limited options to keep fields operating and has begun taking millions of barrels of daily production offline.
Oil Minister Hayyan Abdulghani (center) meets with his deputies to plan for production cuts in anticipation of a shutdown in southern oil exports on March 2, 2026. (Photo credit: Oil Ministry)
BASRA - Iraq's Oil Ministry has begun ordering major production cuts from fields in southern Iraq, where the bulk of its 4.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil production is sourced, days after the war between Iran, the United States and Israel halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
A senior official at the state-run Basra Oil Company (BOC) said southern fields may be reduced from around 4 million bpd down to 1 million bpd, with the Oil Ministry prioritizing fields that provide the most critical supplies of associated gas for power generation. Commentary from several Iraqi oil officials suggests these production cuts are already well underway.
Login to your account
Subscribe for news access
Annual News subscribers receive access to the full archive of Iraq Oil Report articles.
