Politics

Iraq grapples with power shortages and Iran sanctions as summer looms

The expiration of a U.S. sanctions waiver on Iranian electricity imports is complicating Baghdad's balancing act between Tehran and Washington, while the government scrambles for power supply ahead of peak demand season.

Workers from the Southern Projects Commission of Iraq's State Company for Oil Projects assemble a pipeline designed to carry regassified LNG imported via the Khor al-Zubair port in Basra to power stations in February 2025. (ALI AL-AQILY/Iraq Oil Report)

Oct 7, 2010

Oil evictions in Kirkuk fan flames of ethnic hostility

As the North Oil Company orders 5,000 villagers to relocate, local leaders make accusations of ethnic bias.

Oct 5, 2010

Comment & Analysis: Questioning the numbers

Former Iraqi oilman Ahmed Mousa Jiyad wonders where the data came from to support the massive boost in two fields' reserves.

Sep 30, 2010

Wasit leaders defy Oil Ministry in armed standoff at Ahdab

A battle for control of the province’s oil development combusted, as local and federal security forces faced off.

Sep 23, 2010

Iraq moves to regain stature atop OPEC

Fifty years after the cartel was founded in Baghdad, Iraq is attempting to overcome political and technical obstacles to snatch the oil crown from the Saudis.

Sep 2, 2010

Expanding oilfields versus ancient farmlands

In a zero-sum game of real estate, Basra farmers are losing their ancestral lands and livelihoods to Iraq’s oil boom.

Sep 1, 2010

Kurds’ EU gas deal irks Baghdad on eve of U.S. transition

KRG's new gas deal with Europe fuels conflict with central government over oil sector control and exposes gap in American understanding of key Iraqi issue.

Aug 10, 2010

Farmer’s lawsuit demands compensation for oil land

Farmer claims that state oil company took over his land in Missan province and owes him millions in lost income.

Jul 29, 2010

As Iraq loosens the taps, slow planning for a spill

With oil production set to boom, Iraq is facing an increasing risk of oil-related disaster, and environmental officials say the country isn’t ready to handle a major spill.

Jul 28, 2010

UN oversight of Iraqi oil money struggling to adapt

Alleged fuel smuggling from Kurdish region to Iran highlights gaps in UN-mandated monitoring of Iraqi oil money.

Jul 23, 2010

Iraq’s Oil Service Contracts: An Overview

Full speech given by Thamir Ghadhban, chairman of the advisory commission to the Iraqi Prime Minister, at the Iraq Oil Symposium July 18, 2010, attended by officials from international oil companies, foreign embassies and Iraqi ministries.