Saudi Arabia has asked the Iraqi Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) up to 20 million barrels of crude to supply the country's domestic refineries, the Wall Street Journal reported.
For its part, denied Somo - according to Iraqi media sources - the validity of Riyadh's request to provide crude oil.
After the attacks on Saudi Arabia's largest oil facilities on the 14th of this month, the Kingdom is reaching out to foreign producers to obtain crude oil and other oil products, increasing its usual trade flows to fill supply gaps and to maintain its reputation as a reliable supplier.
The attacks have halted nearly half of Saudi Arabia's crude oil production, affecting global oil supplies.
| One of the Iraqi oil facilities (Al Jazeera) |
Iraqi exile
SOMO spokesman Haider al-Kaabi denied to Iraqi media that Saudi Arabia had asked SOMO to supply crude.
On Tuesday, state oil firm Saudi Aramco said it would meet its obligations to provide customers while repairing damage from the attacks, and that the reserves would be used to restore production to normal levels within weeks and recover 50 percent of lost production.
Last year, Saudi Arabia produced an average of 10.3 million barrels of crude oil per day and exported 7.4 million barrels per day, in addition to 2 million barrels per day of refined products, according to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Kepler, which monitors oil flows, said crude oil exports from Saudi Arabia had stabilized at around 6.5 million barrels over the three days ending on January 18, following attacks on oil facilities in the kingdom over the weekend.