Iraq says cut in crude oil production due to Strait of Hormuz closure will not affect refineries' operations

CAIRO, March 3 (Reuters) - Iraq said on Tuesday that the reduction in its crude oil production due to the Middle East conflict, which has stopped exports through the Strait of Hormuz, will not affect operations at its refineries, the state news agency reported citing the oil ministry.

Iraq has cut oil production by nearly 1.5 million barrels a day and those cuts could widen to more than 3 million bpd within days as the country runs out of storage and cannot export crude due to the Iran crisis, two Iraqi oil officials told Reuters.