The Oil Ministry made major cuts at state-operated fields in October in a bid to answer OPEC-plus concerns over quota compliance.
In an effort to attract foreign investors to its upcoming licensing rounds, the Oil Ministry is adding more projects and better contractual terms.
Iraqi Army and Peshmerga forces clashed over a strategically important position near key energy assets.
With the northern pipeline still offline, Iraq is compensating with robust southern exports and expanding sales into Kurdistan's local market.
Political obstacles within Iraq are still preventing crude exports from restarting after a formal letter from BOTAS to SOMO confirmed the pipeline is ready.
Crude sales averaged above 3.4 million for the third straight month as Iraq maxes out southern export outlets.
Northern exports can only come online if Baghdad strikes new political and commercial agreements.
In a U.S. legal filing, Iraq contested Turkey's effort to flip the award in its own favor, as the two sides still appear deadlocked over a restart of Iraq’s northern exports.
Baghdad has begun implementing a three-month deal to enable payments for Kurdistan's civil servants, prompting political backlash.
Recent meetings show renewed efforts to set terms for reopening the export pipeline, but top-level political approval is hardly assured.
Iraq's natural waterways have little spare supply for oil fields that need more water injection to sustain reservoir pressure and hit higher production targets.
