Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said on Tuesday any disruption to oil exports through the Hormuz Strait will be a "major obstacle" for his country"s economy. His government was studying contingency plans to deal with possible disruptions, including looking at alternative routes for oil exports, Abdul Mahdi told reporters at his weekly press conference. On Monday, Bloomberg reported that a BP oil tanker had turned around before reaching Iraq"s main oil terminal to load its cargo and was anchored off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The British company were weary of sending the ship through the Strait of Hormuz because of the threat from Iran to retaliate to the seizing of an Iranian ship off Gibraltar last week by UK forces.