Iraqi president says some oil tankers being facilitated through Strait of Hormuz

Iraq’s President Nizar Amidi said Saturday that some vessels carrying Iraqi oil are being facilitated through the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that developments in the strategic waterway affect not only Iraq but the entire world, Anadolu reports.

Speaking during the eighth Baghdad Dialogue conference in the Iraqi capital, Amidi said Iraq faces difficulties transporting its oil due to the absence of a national tanker fleet, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

“There is facilitation for some ships carrying Iraqi oil in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, without elaborating.

Amidi stressed that developments in the strait have repercussions beyond Iraq.

“The Strait of Hormuz has an impact on the entire world, not just Iraq,” he said.

The Iraqi president said Baghdad is determined to avoid becoming involved in the ongoing war between Iran and the US, noting that the country is among those most affected by the conflict.

Amidi also said he believes the US wants an agreement with Iran to end the war.

On domestic security, the president said Iraq’s constitution requires that weapons be restricted to state control, adding that the religious authority in Najaf also supports that position.

He called for dialogue and understanding with armed groups to bring weapons under state authority through what he described as an Iraqi national solution.

He also said he had spoken with the Iranian parliament speaker and conveyed messages to Tehran regarding a review of relations between the two countries.

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Amidi denied that Iran had asked Baghdad to delay efforts to bring weapons under state control, adding that Iranian officials had affirmed that the issue was an Iraqi decision.

He said armed groups had fought against the Daesh/ISIS terror group and “shed their blood,” but that Baghdad is now asking them to hand over their weapons and integrate into the country’s security forces.

Amidi said the Peshmerga is a constitutional institution operating in the Kurdish region and is not part of the issue of bringing weapons under state control.

The president also said there was “no justification” for attacks targeting the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

Amidi stressed that Baghdad would not accept Iraqi territory being used to attack any other country.

On the US-led international coalition against Daesh/ISIS, Amidi said the force originally entered Iraq at Baghdad’s request to fight the terrorist group but is no longer needed, adding that its withdrawal is scheduled for Sept. 30.

The president said Iraq makes its regional decisions according to its national interests, stressing that “Iraq comes first.”

“There is no security in the region without Iraq’s security and stability,” he added.

On Wednesday, Iraq asked Iran to give the country “special consideration” regarding oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz during Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf’s visit to Baghdad.

The request was raised during Qalibaf’s talks with Iraqi officials amid concerns over the impact of restrictions in the strategic waterway on Iraqi oil exports.

​​​​​​​The eighth Baghdad Dialogue conference opened Friday in the Iraqi capital with the participation of officials, political figures, diplomats and academics to discuss regional and international developments and political, security and economic challenges facing the region.

READ: Iraq asks Iran for special consideration regarding oil exports via Strait of Hormuz