Iraqi Oil Minister: most tankers in Hormuz belong to Iraq’s fleet — four million barrels exported in a single day

Iraq managed to export four million barrels of oil in a single day in September, with a daily average of 2.6 million barrels for the month, Oil Minister Bassem Mohammad Khadeer said.

The minister stated that most of the cargo vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz belong to Iraq’s fleet, underscoring the country’s vital economic dependence on this strategic waterway.

The statement comes as traffic through the strait remains far below pre-war levels. In early September, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said “at least 10 million barrels” passed through Hormuz each day — about half of the nearly 20 million barrels that flowed before the U.S. and Israeli strike on Iran.

Control of the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the main obstacles in efforts to end the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran. Tehran has said it will keep the strait closed until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented.

Meanwhile, oil prices have fallen to an 11-day low, with hopes that this week’s UN General Assembly in New York could bring diplomatic progress in the conflict.

Source: Al Jazeera — “Iran war live”, 21 September 2026