Iraq Approves Framework Agreement to Install Basra-Aqaba Oil Pipeline

A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
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Iraq Approves Framework Agreement to Install Basra-Aqaba Oil Pipeline

A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)

The Iraqi cabinet approved the framework agreement for the project to install a pipeline to transfer Iraqi crude oil from Basra to Jordan’s Aqaba port on the Red Sea.

Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh said his Iraqi counterpart Ihsan Abdul Jabbar informed him of the cabinet’s decision in a phone call and commissioned him to complete the procedures to sign the agreement, al-Mamlaka TV reported.

Kharabsheh and Abdul Jabbar agreed to direct the technical and legal teams to proceed with the necessary steps to sign the agreement.

They further agreed on the importance of building on the outcomes of the fourth trilateral Jordanian-Iraqi-Egyptian summit, which was held in June in Baghdad with the participation of King Abdullah, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and Sisi.

The project is in line with efforts to bolster bilateral ties and expand cooperation to serve mutual interests by opening a new hub for exporting Iraqi oil.

Under the agreement, Jordan can buy up to 150,000 oil barrels daily to be refined at the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company in Zarqa city.

The total cost of the project ranges between seven and nine billion dollars, according to Iraqi estimations.



Euro Zone Yields Fall after Iran Raises Prospect of Hormuz Reopening

Euro banknotes (Reuters)
Euro banknotes (Reuters)
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Euro Zone Yields Fall after Iran Raises Prospect of Hormuz Reopening

Euro banknotes (Reuters)
Euro banknotes (Reuters)

Euro zone bond yields fell for a second straight day on Tuesday, hitting their lowest in almost two weeks after Iran raised the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington hinted it could restart talks with Tehran, pushing oil prices lower.

Germany's 10-year bond yield, the benchmark for the bloc, fell 1 basis point to 3.44% after rising as much as 4 bps earlier in the session. It fell 7 bps on Monday as energy prices retreated.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the strait, which carried about a fifth of global energy supplies before the war, could reopen within seven days if the US also lifts its blockade of Iranian ports.

The official added that Iran's delegation to a UN meeting in New York this week has full authority to revive diplomacy over the conflict.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC's "Today" show that Washington was open to speaking with Tehran.

The dip in energy prices helped pull yields lower globally after a surge in recent weeks fuelled by expectations of further interest-rate hikes to combat energy-driven inflation. Traders are pricing in around 35 bps of additional European Central Bank tightening this year, down from 40 bps on Friday.

Germany's two-year bond yield, which is sensitive to interest-rate expectations, fell 1 bp to 3.19%, following a 6-bp drop on Monday.

Rabobank senior rates strategist Lyn Graham-Taylor said lower oil prices following the Iranian comments were weighing on bond yields.

Brent crude futures were last down 1% to $100 a barrel after earlier falling to $97.40, the lowest in two weeks.


Libya's NOC Says Sharara Crude Pipeline Closure Losses at 130,000 bpd

General view of the Sharara oil field in Libya (Reuters)
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Libya's NOC Says Sharara Crude Pipeline Closure Losses at 130,000 bpd

General view of the Sharara oil field in Libya (Reuters)

Libya's National Oil Corporation said on Tuesday that the Sharara-Zawiya crude loading pipeline closure has led to daily losses of about 130,000 barrels per day, Reuters reported.

An armed military group closed valve seven on the Sharara crude pipeline to Zawiya port on Monday, resulting in a significant decline in production at the Sharara oilfield, the National Oil Corporation said in a statement.

 

 

 

 


Sources: Saudi Arabia Restarts East-West Oil Pipeline

FILE PHOTO: A model of an oil pump is seen in front of a Saudi Arabian flag in this illustration taken January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A model of an oil pump is seen in front of a Saudi Arabian flag in this illustration taken January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Sources: Saudi Arabia Restarts East-West Oil Pipeline

FILE PHOTO: A model of an oil pump is seen in front of a Saudi Arabian flag in this illustration taken January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A model of an oil pump is seen in front of a Saudi Arabian flag in this illustration taken January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Saudi Arabia has restarted operations at its East-West Pipeline and could resume exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu later on Tuesday, three sources briefed on the matter said.

Drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut its East-West Pipeline on September 13, halting crude loadings at the kingdom's Yanbu port.

The resumption of supplies on Tuesday helped to drive selling on global oil markets, traders said. Brent crude futures fell by more than $2 a barrel to its lowest since September 8.

Two trading sources said traders were getting ready for Saudi oil loadings by moving tankers to Egypt's Mediterranean Port Said for ship-to-ship transfers and also to Sidi Kerir.