Iraq has urged the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to recognise its claim for a higher crude output quota, saying the increase is needed to compensate for long-standing losses, the country’s oil minister has said.
Bassim Khudair told a local television audience that Baghdad has been in talks with OPEC over an upward revision to its allocation. The comments were reported on 25 September 2026.
Iraq’s appeal rests on its position as OPEC’s second largest crude exporter and on what the minister characterised as production losses sustained during conflicts stretching back four decades. Khudair argued that a revised quota would help redress those cumulative shortfalls.
He described the request as part of formal discussions between Iraq and the group. According to the report, those negotiations remain ongoing and are aimed at securing a durable adjustment rather than a temporary concession.
The minister’s remarks came amid broader regional and global attention on how OPEC manages national allocations. Iraq’s move underscores the continuing importance of quota negotiations for members that say their historical output records do not fully reflect recoverable capacity.
Negotiations and national claims
Iraq’s position, as outlined by its minister, is that decades of conflict have interrupted its ability to reach recognised production levels. The country wants OPEC to take those interruptions into account when determining an equitable quota.
The talks with OPEC, the report said, are intended to translate that claim into a formal quota increase. Khudair presented the change as a corrective measure that would recognise both past disruption and present capacity.
Wider effects and industry reaction
An adjustment to Iraq’s quota would have implications for OPEC’s internal balance and for how the group allocates overall output among members. While the reports item did not report reactions from other OPEC members, it highlighted Iraq’s insistence that its case merits recognition.
The minister’s public statement reiterates a familiar dynamic within the organisation: member states seek allocations that reflect their circumstances, while the group must weigh those requests against collective production targets and market stability.
Iraq’s engagement with OPEC on this matter will be followed closely by market participants and by other producing countries that may see precedents in the outcome. The report provides the minister’s assessment of the rationale for change and confirms that formal talks are under way.