Saheb Bazoun said that "much like other countries in the region, oil production and marketing have been severely impacted, leaving the government no choice but to seek alternative" export routes.

Iraq has several oil shipments stuck at sea, he said.

Iraq is a founding member of the OPEC cartel, and crude oil sales make up 90 percent of the country's budget revenues.

Before the war, it was exporting more than 3.5 million barrels per day.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed to almost all oil tankers, and Iran has vowed that not one litre of oil would be exported from the Gulf while its war with the United States and Israel continues.

Iraq's oil production and exports have sharply decreased, Bazoun said.

Iraqi authorities are considering several options for exports, including a pipeline that runs through Iraq's northern Kurdistan region to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey.

They are also considering transporting oil by land, but many plans will require time to be implemented, according to Bazoun.

A senior official in Iraq's Kurdistan region told AFP talks are underway to facilitate oil exports from federal Iraq.

He said that Baghdad had requested to "export 200,000 bpd" via the Ceyhan pipeline, which has a capacity of 700,000 bpd.

But regional authorities asked for several measures in return, including that Baghdad facilitates the region's access to US dollars through banks.

"We have made it clear to Baghdad that the relief on dollars should happen first," the Kurdish official said, claiming that there is a "100 percent dollar embargo on Kurdistan".

Since the start of the year, Iraq has seen more restrictions on US dollar operations through banks.

Oil production has also been disrupted in the Kurdistan region since foreign oil companies halted production as a precautionary measure due to the war.

Several oil fields and facilities in Iraq have been hit by drones since the conflict began.

Bazoun said many foreign company employees have left the country.