Oil Ministry Denies Immediate Gasoline Export Plans, Reveals Self-Sufficiency Strategy

The Iraqi Ministry of Oil on Saturday denied reports circulated by some media agencies regarding its intention to export gasoline outside the country immediately upon the operation of the Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit. An official ministry spokesman clarified that these reports contained an inaccurate interpretation of his previous statements. The spokesman affirmed that what he stated to a satellite channel was that Iraq would achieve self-sufficiency in petroleum products once the mentioned unit becomes operational. He explained that the potential for Iraq to become an exporter of certain petroleum products would materialize after the completion of expansion works in other refineries, not directly after the FCC unit's operation alone. He further indicated that this vision represents the core of the Ministry's ongoing strategy and planning, which aims to transform Iraq from a major importer to an exporter of petroleum products. The spokesman noted that the Ministry currently exports fuel oil and naphtha products and had previously exported a shipment of jet fuel, in addition to sulfur.