U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammed Shiya al-Sudani. During the meeting, they reached an agreement on the swift activation of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammed Shiya al-Sudani agreed to work quickly on the reopening of the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline. According to a statement by State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Secretary Rubio spoke with Prime Minister Sudani over the phone. Rubio and Sudani agreed in the meeting on the necessity for Iraq to achieve energy independence and to swiftly work on reopening the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline.

The two also agreed on the need to fulfill contract terms for U.S. companies operating in Iraq to attract additional investments. Sudani and Rubio committed to continuing consultations on regional issues and advancing the U.S.-Iraq security partnership.

“REDUCING IRAN’S MALEVOLENT INFLUENCE” During the meeting, efforts to reduce Iran’s malevolent influence in the region and prevent the resurgence of the terrorist organization ISIS destabilizing the region were also discussed. Secretary Rubio emphasized the importance of Syria not becoming a “haven of terrorism” and posing a threat to its neighbors. According to the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office statement, the two agreed on increasing communication and deepening cooperation between the U.S. and Iraq.

OIL FLOW STOPPED IN 2023 After the decision by the Paris-based International Arbitration Court on oil exports between Turkey and Iraq, the oil flow from Iraq to the Ceyhan Port stopped on March 25, 2023. The halt in oil exports to Turkey is estimated to have caused Iraq more than 23 billion dollars in economic losses.