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Kirkuk
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Nation / PlaceIQ

Kirkuk

Northern Iraqi city and governorate above one of the region's oldest oilfields.

Baghdad has been pushing more Kirkuk crude up the pipeline to Ceyhan since the Hormuz blockade, because northern oil never enters the strait. The line stalled near 190,000 barrels a day in June 2026, under a quarter of the Cabinet target.

Last refreshed: 1 October 2026

Key Question

Can Kirkuk's northern oilfields compensate for Iraq's collapsed southern exports?

Timeline for Kirkuk

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Background

Kirkuk is a city and governorate in northern Iraq, about 250km north of Baghdad, above one of the oldest large oilfields in the Middle East. The Turkish Petroleum Company found oil at Baba Gurgur in 1927 and the Iraq Petroleum Company began production in 1934, once the pipelines to Haifa and Tripoli were finished. Recoverable oil is put at about 10 billion barrels, though output sits far below the field's 1970s peak.

Three authorities claim the city. The federal government in Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil and the city's mixed Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen population have contested it since 2003. Federal forces pushed Kurdish Peshmerga out in 2017, after the Kurdish independence referendum. International arbitration in 2023 found Turkey had wrongly allowed Kurdish exports without Baghdad's consent, which settled export rights in Baghdad's favour.

Geography is what makes Kirkuk valuable now. Its crude is a medium sour grade and it leaves Iraq north-west by pipeline to Ceyhan on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, so it never enters the strait of Hormuz. Baghdad has been raising throughput on that line accordingly, and Saudi Arabia is working the same problem from the other end with the one large pipeline that reaches the Red Sea without passing the strait.

Common Questions
Where is Kirkuk and why is it important for Iraqi oil?
Kirkuk is a city and oilfield region in northern Iraq, roughly 250km north of Baghdad. It hosts one of the Middle East's oldest and largest oilfields, discovered in 1927, and produces medium sour Kirkuk crude that is exported via the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey.Source: GeoExpro / Wikipedia
Who controls the Kirkuk oilfields, Iraq or the Kurds?
Kirkuk oilfields are officially under Baghdad's federal control following the 2017 expulsion of Kurdish Peshmerga and the 2023 arbitration ruling confirming that Turkey unlawfully permitted KRG oil exports without Baghdad's consent. The KRG still contests the city's political status.Source: Wikipedia / The National
What type of crude oil does the Kirkuk oilfield produce?
Kirkuk produces a medium sour crude grade, typically around 35-36° API gravity with approximately 2% sulphur content. It is not as light as Brent but suits a wide range of Mediterranean and European refinery configurations.Source: Argus Media / Oxford Energy
How much oil does Kirkuk produce per day?
Kirkuk field production peaked at over 1 million Barrels Per Day in the 1970s but declined sharply through under-investment and conflict. In the early 2020s, output from northern fields was estimated at 300-400kbd, with the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline being ramped toward 770kbd in mid-2026 as southern Iraqi exports collapsed.Source: GeoExpro / The National
When was oil found at Kirkuk?
In 1927, at Baba Gurgur, by the Turkish Petroleum Company. The Iraq Petroleum Company began production in 1934 once the pipelines to Haifa and Tripoli were complete.Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkuk_Field
How much oil is left at Kirkuk?
Recoverable oil is put at about 10 billion barrels. That still makes it one of the largest fields in the Middle East, though output is well below its 1970s peak.Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkuk_Field
Why is Kirkuk disputed between Baghdad and Erbil?
Control of the city and its oilfields has been contested since 2003. The claimants are the federal government, the Kurdistan Regional Government and a mixed Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen population. Federal forces took the city in 2017.Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkuk_Field
Can Kirkuk oil avoid the Strait of Hormuz?
Yes. Kirkuk crude leaves Iraq by pipeline north-west to Ceyhan on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, so it never passes through the strait.Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkuk_Field
Source Material
Kirkuk FieldKirkukKirkuk: A Silent Giant Oilfield

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 1 October 2026. Editorial standards.