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Q&A: Bassim Mohammed Khudair, Deputy Oil Minister for Upstream

Iraq's top upstream oil official confirms that production, curtailed by war, is ready to surge back online — but only once ships can reliably resume Basra Gulf export loadings.
Deputy Oil Minister Bassim Mohammed Khudair (center) and Basra Oil Company Director General Bassim Abdul Karim (right) tour part of the Ratawi project led by TotalEnergies in February 2026. (Photo credit: Oil Ministry)
Staff of Iraq Oil Report
Sunday, April 19th, 2026

BASRA - Iraq is preparing for a quick resumption of oil production and exports, even as the hostilities between Iran and the U.S. continue to impose major disruptions on the Iraqi oil sector.

In an interview with Iraq Oil Report on April 18, Deputy Oil Minister Bassim Mohammed Khudair spoke about not only the evolving security situation and its impact on oil operations, but also on the Oil Ministry's plans for continuing to develop the sector after the war — including the future of the West Qurna 2 oil field.

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