Iraq will begin to export crude oil, produced from the northern Kirkuk fields, to Iran before the end of January 2018, Iraqi Oil Minister, Jabar al-Luaibi, told reporters on January 7^th, according to Reuters.

Iraq will send around 30,000 barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil to Iran’s Kermanshah refinery in the first instance, al-Luiabi said, adding ‘‘God willing, we will start before the end of the month,‘’ Iran Daily reported.

Iraq will send crude oil to Iran, via trucks, under a swap agreement, which was announced in December 2017 by the two countries, aiming for a resumption of oil exports from Kirkuk.

The two countries agreed to swap up to 60,000 b/d of crude oil produced from the Iraqi region for Iranian oil that would be delivered to southern Iraq, al-Luaibi previously said in December.

Crude oil sales from Kirkuk have been stopped since Iraqi forces regained control over the fields from the Kurds in October 2017.