Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, spoke with Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani agreed that the oil pipeline between Iraq and Turkey should be reopened quickly, according to a State Department account of their telephone conversation. The route had not carried Iraqi crude since March 2023, when Baghdad halted flows after prevailing in an arbitration dispute with Turkey.
The call placed the pipeline within a wider discussion about Iraq's energy position and its economic relationship with the United States. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said both officials supported greater Iraqi energy independence and compliance with contractual commitments to US companies. Washington presented those steps as important for attracting further investment.
Neither the account of the call nor the statement from Sudani's office provided a timetable for restarting exports. The language therefore signalled political intent rather than confirmation that physical shipments had resumed. Reopening the line would require the parties to translate that agreement into operational and commercial arrangements after a shutdown approaching two years.
Sudani's office said the leaders reviewed cooperation across several sectors and agreed to maintain closer communication. Their agenda also reached beyond energy. The US statement said they discussed limiting Iranian influence, preventing the Islamic State group from rebuilding its capacity, and ensuring that Syria did not again become a base for attacks on neighbouring countries.
Those issues reflect the balancing act facing Baghdad. Sudani's governing coalition includes a powerful bloc supported by Iran-aligned factions, while Iraq also maintains an important security and commercial relationship with Washington. The prime minister has sought steadier relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government, whose oil exports have been directly affected by the pipeline stoppage, while managing Iraq's ties to both Iran and the United States.
The regional setting added urgency to the conversation. Iraq had already experienced exchanges between US forces and armed groups operating under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq after October 2023. A wider confrontation involving Iran and its partners could threaten the relative domestic stability reported under Sudani and complicate efforts to expand foreign investment.
The February 25 discussion established a shared objective for the Iraq-Turkey route but stopped short of announcing a completed settlement. Its practical significance would depend on whether Baghdad, regional authorities, Ankara and commercial operators could resolve the remaining terms and restore exports.
The pipeline question also carried implications for Iraq’s public finances and regional producers, although the supplied source gave no volume or revenue estimate. The call’s wording was therefore best read as diplomatic pressure for a quick solution, not a detailed commercial agreement between every affected party.
