Politics

Baghdad court rejects Oil Ministry effort to invalidate KRG oil contracts

The Karkh Court of Appeals has denied an Oil Ministry appeal and reversed a series of 2022 rulings that declared several KRG oil contracts void.

Workers measure the pressure at the Central Processing Facility at the Tawke oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan in August 2012. (SEBASTIAN MEYER/Metrography/Iraq Oil Report)

Mar 14, 2022

Economic reforms hampered by political divides

Iraq’s “white paper” laid out an internationally acclaimed roadmap for economic reform. But the problems are so pervasive — and political will to tackle them so weak — that progress has been slow.

Mar 8, 2022

Uncertainty deepens after landmark ruling against Kurdistan’s oil sector

Baghdad and Erbil have vastly different strategies for responding to a ruling from Iraq's highest court that invalidated the legal foundations of Kurdistan's oil sector.

Mar 1, 2022

Q&A: Ali Shaddad al-Faris, MP from Basra

One of the plaintiffs in the landmark Federal Supreme Court case against Kurdistan's independent oil sector discusses fallout from the ruling as well as Parliament's role in energy sector oversight.

Feb 15, 2022

UPDATE: Iraqi Supreme Court strikes down KRG oil sector independence

Landmark ruling rejects the legal pillars of Kurdistan's oil sector, opening a volatile new chapter in Iraq's long-standing disputes over oil powers.

Feb 3, 2022

KRG extends gas pipeline network, raising potential for exports

A new 52-inch pipeline to Dohuk, near the Turkish border, will bring feedstock to a dormant power plant — with extra capacity for more destinations in the future, including potential exports.

Jan 27, 2022

Omicron arrives in Iraq

The country's healthcare system is ill prepared for another surge, but government, health, and oil sector officials are hoping new variant's milder symptoms will soften the impact.

Jan 25, 2022

KRG resumes Syria crude trade

After more than a month, the border has reopened for both trade and humanitarian traffic, alleviating economic pressure on a U.S. ally in the counter-IS fight.

Jan 13, 2022

Iraq sets out blueprint for sovereign wealth fund for clean energy

Now that Iraq has finished decades' worth of reparations payments to Kuwait, the Cabinet is proposing to continue diverting a portion of oil sales for a new purpose — domestic clean energy investments.

Jan 11, 2022

KRG shuts border with Syrian Kurds, cutting oil artery

The closure blocks a major source of funding for the Rojava administration, a U.S. ally in the fight against IS.

Dec 15, 2021

Water shortages prompt RPG fire near Gharraf oil field

As Iraq begins to suffer the intensifying effects of climate change, competition for water threatens to spark conflict.