Oil production in Iraq has hit its highest level since former leader Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003. Production has risen to 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) from a steady 2 million bpd during the US-led invasion, Iraq's new oil minister said. Hussain al-Shahristani added that production was expected to rise to 2.7 million bpd by the end of the year. "We have been able to break records," he said of the government, which has been in place for just over a month. Before the war, output was around 3 million bpd, peaking at a record of 3.5 million bpd. During an interview with CNN, Shahristani said he expected output to rise to approximately 4 million barrels per day by 2010, increasing to 6 million bpd by 2012, according to a report circulated today by BBC.
