![Basra oil fields in southern Iraq.](https://img.piri.net/resim/imagecrop/2017/02/19/01/41/resized_5c516-2017-01-17t181225z_714170629_rc19756aa020_rtrmadp_3_mideast-crisis-iraq.jpg)
Iraq's oil reserves have increased to 153 billion barrels, from a previous estimate of 143 billion barrels, Oil Minister Jabal al-Luaibi said on Sunday.
Iraq will ask the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to adopt the new figure as the official estimate for its reserves, he said in a statement.
The increased estimate is the result of appraisals and exploration carried out at seven oil fields in central and southern Iraq, he said.
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