Iraq has appointed oil industry veteran and a former deputy oil minister Bassim Mohammed Khudair as the country's new Minister of Oil.
Iraq's parliament approved Khudair's appointment on Thursday, the day after he was proposed by recently appointed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. Khudair will replace outgoing oil minister Hayan Abdul Ghani who has held the post since October 2022.
Khudair was one of 14 new ministers approved by parliament following last month's appointment of al-Zaidi as the country's new prime minister.
Khudair takes the helm of the ministry at a time when Iraq is seeking to navigate the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, with the bulk of Iraq's oil exports cut off from global markets due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.