Iraq’s Al-Sudani, US Secretary Rubio urge swift resumption of Iraq-Turkiye pipeline

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the need to resume operations of the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline, the US State Department announced Wednesday.

During a phone call, the PM and Rubio discussed “reducing Iran’s malign influence and continuing efforts to prevent ISIS from resurging and destabilizing the broader region,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated.

Both sides also agreed on the importance of Iraq achieving energy independence, adhering to contractual terms for US companies operating in the country to attract further investments, and “quickly” resuming operations of the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline, which facilitates the export of oil from the Kurdistan Region via Turkiye’s Ceyhan port.

On Tuesday, Al-Sudani received a phone call from Rubio and discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and other topics of mutual interest.