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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)
Mar 4, 2010

The dark horse in a blue suit

A top oil ministry technocrat who survived deBaathification (twice) and defended Baghdad's Daura refinery against insurgents is running a long-shot bid for Iraq's vicious parliament.

Mar 1, 2010

Iraq in the Crude World: Part 2

A stunning and revealing examination of oil's indelible impact on the countries that produce it and the people who possess it.

Feb 22, 2010

Iraq in the Crude World: Part 1

A stunning and revealing examination of oil's indelible impact on the countries that produce it and the people who possess it.

Feb 17, 2010

Iraq’s Oil Politics: Where Agreement Might Be Found

In Iraq, oil contracting and revenue sharing are not simply technical or commercial matters but rather proxies for differing conceptions among Iraq’s communities of the country and their place within it.

Feb 10, 2010

2010 budget boosts oil-producing provinces

The $72bn budget awards dollars to oil-producing provinces and sites of pilgrimage. A stern warning is issued to Kurdish authorities in the form of penalties for cutting off exports.

Feb 8, 2010

Chaos looms over elections

Protests on the streets of Baghdad as election campaigning delayed and courts rush through appeals of banned candidates

Feb 8, 2010

Oil workers protest in Basra

Dispute over labor law, attacks on workers, mark ongoing tension between Iraqi oil workers and the government.

Feb 4, 2010

Ten deals makes a happy minister

Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani talks to Iraq Oil Report about what the recently signed oil deals means for Iraq, and what is left to do before KRG oil deals get the green light.