IRAQI TANKERS GET IRANIAN PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH HORMUZ

Developing story: Tanker counts, Iraqi export plans, Iranian conditions and U.S. responses may change as shipments continue.

Iran has granted permission for a number of Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after repeated requests from Baghdad, Reuters reported Saturday, citing Iran’s state news agency and Iraqi officials. The move gives Iraq limited relief from a waterway crisis that has severely affected its export options since Iran asserted control over the strait.

The permission was one of Baghdad’s main requests during Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf’s visit to Iraq, Reuters reported. Iraqi President Nizar Amedi said Iran had facilitated the passage of vessels carrying Iraqi oil in recent days and that Baghdad had discussed exports through Hormuz with Iranian officials.

The development is important because it shows Iran is not treating Hormuz as simply open or closed. Instead, Tehran appears willing to permit selected traffic under specific political conditions. That gives Iran leverage over neighbors and buyers while allowing it to argue that the strait is not fully blocked.

Iraq has strong reasons to seek special status. It produced around 4 million barrels of oil per day before the Iran war and depends heavily on crude exports for revenue. Disruption at Hormuz threatens public finances, salaries, investment and political stability in a country already balancing ties with Iran, the United States and Gulf states.

Baghdad is also seeking alternatives. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said Iraq is working to expand exports through Turkey’s Ceyhan port and to begin exporting oil through Syria’s Baniyas port and Jordan’s Aqaba port, according to Reuters. Those routes could reduce dependence on Hormuz, but they are less efficient and require political, logistical and security arrangements.

The special-permission model may create diplomatic tension. Other exporters and shippers may demand similar treatment, while Washington may see Iranian approval requirements as proof that Tehran is exercising unacceptable control over an international waterway. Iraq’s relief may therefore deepen the broader sovereignty dispute over the strait.

For oil markets, the effect is limited but meaningful. Iraqi cargoes that move through Hormuz can ease immediate supply constraints, but selective permissions do not restore normal commercial confidence. Tanker owners and insurers still face attacks, uncertainty and the risk that permission can be withdrawn.

What is confirmed is that Iran granted permission for some Iraqi tankers to transit Hormuz and that Baghdad is seeking alternative export routes. What remains unresolved is how many vessels will be allowed through, whether permission becomes routine and whether the arrangement affects U.S.-Iran negotiations or Gulf shipping rules.

Fact-check date: August 22, 2026. Article type: News. Sources: Reuters; IRNA. Developing note: Tanker counts, Iraqi export plans, Iranian conditions and U.S. responses may change as shipments continue.