Armenia and Iraq. It is impossible for Iran to travel in the trade routes of the Middle East

On April 3, the Chairman of the RA NA Foreign Relations Committee Sargis Khandanyan met with the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Yerevan, Mohammed Al-Sheikhli. Welcoming the guest, the Armenian parliamentarian noted that the friendly relations between the peoples of the two countries have always been a solid basis for the continuous development of cooperation between Armenia and Iraq, emphasizing the development and expansion of interstate and parliamentary relations. M. According to Al-Sheikhli, bilateral relations between Armenia and Iraq are developing dynamically, which is also reflected by the signing of a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding. Yerevan and Baghdad attach great importance to the establishment of peace in the region, stressing that it is the most important condition for the prosperity and mutually beneficial cooperation of the states.

Earlier, at the beginning of the year, the Iraqi diplomat was received by the RA Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Narek Apitonyan. According to the press service of the department, a number of issues of bilateral cooperation in the field of energy and the prospects of its development were discussed during the meeting. Er:and:are planning to at least double the import of Iraqi liquefied petroleum gas from the current year, seeking to weaken the dependence in this field not only on the Russian Federation, but alsoand: From Azerbaijan, where the limited supply of this product started hereby thevowel marchfrom: Narek Apitonyan emphasized the developing relations between the two countries in the field of energy, expressed hope that the dynamics of bilateral cooperation in the field of energy will improve, opening up new opportunities in that field.

Նշվեց՝ Armenia imports liquefied petroleum gas from Iraq. According to the data of the RA Customs Service, in the first half of 2025, Armenia imported 218.1 tons of this energy resource, which is 68.3% more compared to the same period last year. Moreover, customs valuen: increased 2.8 times to $146,000. During that period, Iraqi gas accounted for only 0.1% of total imports of this commodity. This volume in the second half of the yearn: grew toand: a total of 410 tons, which is about 1% of total imports. These supplies were mainly routed through Iran, against which the United States and: Israel launched a war of aggression on February 20, 2026.

In the opposite direction, again through the Meghri checkpoint, cigarettes are transported through the territory of Iran and: some other Armenian products: The total volume of exports and re-exports from Armenia to Iraq in 2025 made 338 million dollars, while trade turnover has steadily increased. noted participants of the 4th session of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between the two countries. Armenia in October last year and: Oman has submitted formal applications to join the Road to Development project, according to the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Transport Adviser Nasser Al-Assadi. “The Iraqi government thinks so՝ right?and:those countries should participate in the “Road to Development” project. Q:atheCome on, the UAE and: Turkey has expressed readiness to support the project. The ambassador of Armenia in Iraq also expressed his desire for his country to participate in the project, the Armenian industry and: With Iraq and the regionand:by creating a free zone for trade exchanges”.

Earlier, in the late 1990s (and even in the mid-1970s), experts from the USSR/Russia, Iran and Iraq discussed a project to transit natural and oil gas and oil from Mesopotamian fields through Iran to the Caucasus, with the possible creation of a gas and oil export hub near the port of Batumi.. Such a project was conditioned both by the normalization of relations between Iraq and Iran, who signed friendship and border treaties in Algiers in 1975, and by the relatively friendly relations of the USSR with both the regimes of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and Saddam Hussein. However, in 1979 the bloody Iran-Iraq war began, which lasted until 1988 and buried any transit option in the region for many years.

Meanwhile, there was also a project that provided for the exit of northern Iraqi oil to the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea. This age-old idea, which dates back to 1919, was developed by the British oil business to connect oil-producing regions and pumping systems in the Middle East and the Caspian region by the shortest route.. In 1995-2001, Mehdi Safari, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, told the author of my article (at that time, the commentator of RCC): “There were no categorical objections from Iran, the issue is being discussed, but a lot will depend on the position of the Iraqi side.”

Some authors consider the hypothetical energy connection between Iran and Iraq to be one of the reasons for the eternal concern of the US and Israel. An alliance between the two neighboring countries would quickly establish a dominant position in the region, and cooperation had come a long way in recent decades. For example, as of 2019, Iran supplies almost 43% of Iraq’s gas needs for developing Iraqi electricity generation (supplied by pipeline through the southern city of Basra and by rail). Iran resumed gas supplies to Iraq on March 21, 2026, after a nearly one-month hiatus due to the “Epstein Coalition’s” attacks on the largest field of “South Pars”. Iraq depends on Iranian gas (mainly liquefied natural gas) to run its power plants. The agreement provides for supplies up to and including 2029, with an option to extend for any period. In addition, the White House prohibits Baghdad from importing gas from Iran, but the government of Muammar al-Sudani insists on “temporary” permits and receives them.

It appears that renewed Iran-Iraq energy cooperation partially exempts Iraqi oil and gas from the embargo to supply Armenia, Turkey and Jordan. At the same time, projects have been prepared with the French TotalEnergies for the development of 4 new gas fields in central and southern Iraq in 2026-2031. Total gas reserves in the country are appreciated about 4.6 trillion cubic meters, almost 70% of which is petroleum gas. Whether all this will be realized depends on the course of events in the region, including the early cessation of US-Israeli aggression against Iran and the restoration of normal operation of transit routes.

Alexey Baliev

vpoanalytics.com

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

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