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)

Apr 14, 2020

Cross-border fuel pipeline delayed by Iranian, KRG bureaucratic tangle

Red tape and rivalries have prevented the startup of a short pipeline designed to improve the efficiency of the KRG's fuel imports from Iran while mitigating coronavirus risk.

Apr 10, 2020

New PM-designate Kadhimi has momentum, but steep challenge

With 30 days to form a cabinet, Iraq's latest prime minister-designate, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, faces the same political crosscurrents that stymied his predecessors.

Apr 7, 2020

Government scrambles for solutions as Iraq faces financial free fall

Confronting low oil prices and a pandemic, Iraq will likely be forced to draw heavily from its foreign currency reserves while slashing oil and investment spending.

Mar 30, 2020

New pipeline streamlines KRG-Iran fuel trade

A newly built cross-border pipeline is expected to begin pumping imminently, allowing Iraqi Kurdistan to continue Iranian fuel imports while reducing truck traffic and coronavirus risks.

Mar 26, 2020

U.S. tightens window on Iraq’s new sanctions waiver

Iraq's latest Iran sanctions waiver is the shortest yet – 30 days – reflecting an ongoing strain in relations between Baghdad and Washington.

Mar 15, 2020

KRG issues new anti-coronavirus orders to oil firms

Regulations for oil and gas companies in Kurdistan reinforce standing WHO recommendations.

Mar 12, 2020

Iraqi Cabinet decisions: March 10, 2020

Whenever the media office of the Council of Ministers releases decisions of the Cabinet, Iraq Oil Report publishes a translation from the original Arabic.

Mar 11, 2020

Iraqi economic crisis looms as oil prices collapse

With Brent nearing $30 per barrel, Iraq faces a budget shortfall that could leave the government unable to pay salaries.

Mar 5, 2020

Q&A: Jabar Yawar, Secretary General of the Peshmerga

Insurgents and gangs continue to fill a security vacuum in Iraq’s disputed territories, as talks between federal and Kurdish forces have been derailed by the political impacts of the Soleimani assassination.

Mar 4, 2020

Iraqi Cabinet decisions: March 3, 2020

Whenever the media office of the Council of Ministers releases decisions of the Cabinet, Iraq Oil Report publishes a translation from the original Arabic.