BAGHDAD: Any move by Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region to export oil without central government approval is still illegal and would make reaching a deal on delayed oil payments more difficult, senior Iraqi oil officials said on Tuesday.

"If the Kurdistan Regional Government insists to move in the wrong direction, even by bartering crude without legal approval, this will worsen the situation and make it more difficult to reach an agreement," one senior Iraqi oil official said.

No date has been set for talks between the central government and the Kurdish authorities to end their disagreement over Kurdistan exports and payments to foreign companies working in the autonomous region in northern Iraq.