Hasan Turan criticises the government's economic policies

Hasan Turan, former leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, wrote on X on Monday, 9 March 2026, that although nine years have passed since the areas the pipeline crosses were liberated from ISIS, the line has still not been repaired. He noted that the pipeline could carry more than one million barrels of oil a day, similar to its export capacity in the 1980s.

“Unfortunately, our economy is a rentier economy that relies solely on oil. Today exports through the Strait of Hormuz have stopped, and we have wasted the opportunity to export through the port of Ceyhan while the price of a barrel has risen above 100 dollars,” Turan said.

He asked whether those responsible for the negligence would be held to account, or whether this was simply a repeat of the “strategy of missed opportunities” followed by some ministries, for which ordinary Iraqi citizens ultimately pay the price.

The Kirkuk–Ceyhan line, known as the Iraq–Türkiye Oil Pipeline, is Iraq's largest route for exporting crude oil to international markets via the Mediterranean. It starts at the Kirkuk oil fields and runs through Iraqi territory to Türkiye's Ceyhan port. It is about 970 kilometres long and consists of two parallel pipes.

In 2014, when ISIS seized large parts of Nineveh, Salahaddin and Anbar provinces, the Ceyhan line suffered extensive destruction.

The group blew up the IT-1 pumping station near Baiji and the IT-2 station in Nineveh province, bringing exports through the pipeline to a complete halt.

Much of the pipe in areas under ISIS control was either destroyed or used for military purposes, including building fortifications.