Iraq Raises June Basrah Medium Crude Price to Asia to $4.30 a Barrel

Flames emerge from flare stacks at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, north of Basra, Iraq March 9, 2020. (Reuters)
Flames emerge from flare stacks at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, north of Basra, Iraq March 9, 2020. (Reuters)
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Iraq Raises June Basrah Medium Crude Price to Asia to $4.30 a Barrel

Flames emerge from flare stacks at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, north of Basra, Iraq March 9, 2020. (Reuters)
Flames emerge from flare stacks at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, north of Basra, Iraq March 9, 2020. (Reuters)

Iraq has raised the June official selling price for Basrah Medium crude oil to Asia to $4.30 a barrel against the average of Oman/Dubai quotes from the May OSP of $17.30 a barrel, state-owned Iraqi oil marketer SOMO said on Sunday.

Basra Heavy to Asia in the same month was priced at $2.20 a barrel to Oman/Dubai quotes, from $15.20 a barrel set for May.

Iraq has offered term buyers May-loading Basrah crude at steep discounts for loading inside the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely blocked since ‌the Iran conflict began.

The OPEC producer is offering its flagship Basrah Medium crude at discounts of $33.40, or $26 a barrel to its May official selling price, for loading on May 1 to May 10 or May 11 to May 31, ⁠respectively, according to a May 3 notice from state oil marketer SOMO seen by Reuters.

It also offered May-loading Basrah Heavy crude at a discount of $30 per barrel to the May OSP, the document showed.

The cargoes are sold on a free-on-board basis at the Basrah Oil Terminal or Single Point Moorings, both located inside the Strait of Hormuz.

The OSP is determined ‌on ⁠the final destination of the cargoes, it said.

The discounts underscore mounting pressure on Iraqi crude exports as shipping risks persist in the waterway, a ⁠critical artery for global oil flows.

Iraqi crude exports, which averaged 3.33 million barrels per day in 2025, are mostly shipped to Asia, ⁠Kpler data showed.

In April, only two vessels loaded at Iraq's Basra port, one of them has past the Strait ⁠of Hormuz while the other one has not been out, according to Kpler.



Iraq Raises September Basrah Medium Crude OSP to Asia

Workers walk across pipelines at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters)
Workers walk across pipelines at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters)
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Iraq Raises September Basrah Medium Crude OSP to Asia

Workers walk across pipelines at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters)
Workers walk across pipelines at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters)

Iraq has raised the September official selling price (OSP) for Basra Medium crude oil to Asia to minus $4 a barrel against the average of Oman/Dubai quotes from the August OSP of minus $6.50 a barrel, state-owned Iraqi oil marketer SOMO said on Monday, Reuters reported.

Basrah Heavy to Asia was priced at minus $7.30 a barrel to Oman/Dubai quotes, from minus $8.80 a barrel set for August.

Type of North and South European Far East Crude American Market Market Market ($/bbl) Oil ($/bbl) ($/bbl) Basrah ASCI +5.10 Brent Average (Oman Medium (dated)-4.35 & Dubai)-4.00 Basrah ASCI +1.40 Brent Average


Turkish Central Bank Bought $5 billion in Foreign Exchange Last Week, Bankers Say

Central Bank of Türkiye - File Photo/Reuters
Central Bank of Türkiye - File Photo/Reuters
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Turkish Central Bank Bought $5 billion in Foreign Exchange Last Week, Bankers Say

Central Bank of Türkiye - File Photo/Reuters
Central Bank of Türkiye - File Photo/Reuters

The Turkish central bank bought $5 billion in foreign exchange last week, with its net reserves increasing $9 billion to $63 billion, bankers said on Monday, Reuters reported.

According to the calculations of four bankers, the central bank's total reserves increased $14 billion last week to $178 billion, while net reserves excluding swaps increased $9.5 billion to $50 billion. The central bank did not comment on the figures.

 

 

 


July US Container Imports Hit Fourth-highest on Record, Descartes Says

FILE PHOTO: Workers move shipping containers at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in, Newark, New Jersey, US, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Workers move shipping containers at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in, Newark, New Jersey, US, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo
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July US Container Imports Hit Fourth-highest on Record, Descartes Says

FILE PHOTO: Workers move shipping containers at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in, Newark, New Jersey, US, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Workers move shipping containers at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in, Newark, New Jersey, US, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo

US imports of containerized goods in July hit the fourth-highest level for the month, as shippers rushed in goods ahead of unknown US tariff changes, supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group said on Monday.

US seaports handled 2.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July, down 4.3% from the near-record result in July 2025. Through the first seven months of 2026, imports were down 0.9% year over year while remaining ⁠well above pre-COVID pandemic ⁠levels, Descartes said.

In late July, 10% global Section 122 tariffs expired and were replaced by new tariffs of up to 12.5% on imports from 60 countries tied to allegations of forced labor.

Chinese-origin imports rose to 873,129 TEUs ⁠in July, the highest monthly volume in a year.

China sends more goods via container to the US than any other country, even after President Donald Trump has targeted such products with tariffs.

Retailers like Walmart, Amazon.com and Home Depot account for roughly half of all US container imports, Reuters reported.

The traditional peak shipping season tied to their imports of goods for autumn and winter holiday promotions ⁠has ⁠been arriving earlier and over a longer period of time as shippers have responded to a string of supply-chain upheavals ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing US and Israeli war on Iran to rapidly changing US tariff policies.

"The broader trade environment remains unsettled. Elevated Strait of Hormuz risk, changing US tariff measures, tighter Panama Canal draft restrictions, and continued Red Sea disruption are influencing freight costs, routing decisions, and sourcing strategies," Descartes said.