Iraq's Oil Ministry Clarifies September Exports Averaged 2.6M bpd, Not 4M

Iraq's Ministry of Oil clarified that crude exports averaged 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) during September, after media reports mischaracterized a single day's peak SOMO shipment — 4 million bpd of crude routed outside the closed Strait of Hormuz — as the sustained monthly rate. Exports blended Qayara field crude via the northern outlet with southern port loadings and tanker shipments routed around Hormuz. The ministry called the 2.6M bpd average 'a significant achievement given current conditions, including the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz,' saying exports are 'being maintained at the highest possible levels to generate revenue for the state treasury.'