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Iraq denied information about country's withdrawal from OPEC — Oil Ministry

The Iraqi Oil Ministry denied reports that Baghdad plans to leave OPEC, saying its push for higher production quotas is part of its ongoing policy. The denial follows a Shafaq News report that Iraq was considering quitting the group if its quota demands were rejected.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jun 25, 2026 Published Aug 15

Iraq denies withdrawal from OPEC, ministry cites quota review

The Iraqi Oil Ministry has denied reports that Baghdad intends to leave OPEC, affirming that its request for increased production quotas is consistent with its longstanding policy within the organization. The statement, carried by TASS, comes in response to media speculation about a possible withdrawal.

"Reports about Iraq's threat to end its membership in OPEC do not reflect the official position of the Iraqi government," the ministry said, according to TASS. The ministry added that Baghdad "constantly emphasizes the importance of revising production limits in accordance with the sustainable production capacities of member states."

According to the ministry, OPEC and its allies have already responded to this push by launching a review of member states' maximum sustainable production capacities. This review is reportedly being conducted "in coordination with an independent international consulting firm and with the active participation of Iraq."

The ministry also said there is "a high level of understanding of the special situation in Iraq" among OPEC members, noting that "the country's oil and auxiliary infrastructure have been subjected to terrorist attacks, and this must be taken into account to ensure oil production in Iraq at a fair level."

The denial follows a report by Shafaq News, cited by TASS, which claimed that Iraqi authorities were considering withdrawing from OPEC if the group rejected Baghdad's proposal to raise its production quota. According to that report, the idea was part of a broader plan to boost oil exports and offset losses incurred due to the recent conflict between the US and Iran. Shafaq News also suggested that any decision on production or possible withdrawal would likely be made after Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's scheduled visit to Washington in mid-July.

Iraq is the second-largest oil producer in OPEC, according to Shafaq News. Oil sales account for roughly 90% of government revenue, and most of Iraq's crude is exported by sea, with about 95% passing through the Strait of Hormuz. That strait was closed during the war waged by the US and Israel against Iran, the agency reported.

The UAE withdrew from OPEC and OPEC+ — a group comprising 11 nations, including Russia — on May 1, 2026.

Perspectives

Iraqi Oil Ministry

Official Iraqi position denies any intention to leave OPEC, framing the quota request as part of an ongoing policy and highlighting the country's special circumstances, including damage to infrastructure from terrorist attacks.

Shafaq News (via unnamed sources)

Reported that Iraqi authorities are considering withdrawal from OPEC if quota demands are rejected, linking the idea to plans to increase exports and offset losses from the US-Iran conflict. The report notes a possible decision after the prime minister's visit to Washington.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC

Framing: Iraq denies considering withdrawal from OPEC — neutral

Facts Included:

Iraqi authorities do not intend to end their membership in OPEC
Iraq's demand for increased production quotas is in line with its ongoing policy within the cartel
OPEC and its allies are reviewing the maximum sustainable production capacities of member states
Iraq's oil and auxiliary infrastructure have been subjected to terrorist attacks

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC

Framing: Iraq considers withdrawing from OPEC — speculative

Facts Included:

Iraqi authorities are considering the possibility of withdrawing from OPEC if the group rejects Baghdad's proposal to increase its oil production quota
The idea of withdrawing from OPEC is part of Iraq's broader plan to boost oil exports and offset losses incurred due to the conflict between the US and Iran
Iraq is the second-largest oil producer in OPEC
Oil sales account for around 90% of government revenue

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimIraqi authorities do not intend to end their membership in OPEC. Baghdad's demand for increased production quotas is in line with its ongoing policy within the cartel.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusContested via TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC
ClaimIraqi authorities are considering the possibility of withdrawing from OPEC if the group rejects Baghdad's proposal to increase its oil production quota.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusContested via TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC
ClaimThe idea of withdrawing from OPEC is part of Iraq's broader plan to boost oil exports and offset losses incurred due to the conflict between the US and Iran.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC
ClaimOPEC and its allies are reviewing the maximum sustainable production capacities of member states.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC
ClaimIraq's oil and auxiliary infrastructure have been subjected to terrorist attacks.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC
ClaimIraq is the second-largest oil producer in OPEC.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC
ClaimOil sales account for around 90% of government revenue.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC
ClaimThe UAE withdrew from OPEC and OPEC+ on May 1, 2026.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 25, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: TASS — English 8 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15