IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Two of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed militias said on Tuesday they would begin handing in their weapons to the authorities, a major step in the new government’s effort to rein in militias that have long operated on their own even though they were nominally under state command.

Iraq is at a turning point as militias begin procedures to disengage from the PMF and potentially hand weapons to the government amid US pressure.

The Iraqi Ministry of Oil revealed a foreign firm's exit from a vital southern refinery FCC project has slashed high-octane gasoline output amid record demand.

Iraq is poised to more than triple crude exports through a pipeline in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, as the OPEC nation seeks to alleviate the impact of the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz on its oil revenue.

MSC, the world's largest shipping group, said on Tuesday its Sariska V vessel was struck by two projectiles while in Iraq's Umm Qasr port on Monday, adding that all crew members were safe and unharmed.

US Envoy Tom Barrack has played a key role in US policy in the Middle East over the past year. He was appointed Special Envoy to Syria last year.