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)

Jan 6, 2012

Energy sector weathers political crisis with minor delays

Amidst a political breakdown, DPM Shahristani is taking a larger role, and the fourth bidding round and the start-up of new export infrastructure have been set back.

Dec 22, 2011

Q&A: Hussain al-Shahristani

The government's top energy official discusses ExxonMobil's options, fourth bidding round contract models, and federalism.

Dec 22, 2011

Exxon deal stokes territorial disputes

ExxonMobil risks violent reprisals because its controversial deals with the Kurdistan region are inflaming Iraq's internal territorial disputes, according to Iraqi leaders.

Dec 18, 2011

Iraqi political crisis as US completes pullout

American troops are gone, and a political crisis shows Iraq's old divisions may prove stronger than its fledgling institutions.

Dec 16, 2011

Oil law deal unlikely this year

After politicians optimistically touted a new oil law negotiating framework, the two sides have yet to meet and positions remain entrenched.

Dec 3, 2011

Military ceremony marks the beginning of the unknown

U.S. troops will be gone by the end of the year, and a truly sovereign Iraq is now a country with an uncertain fate.

Nov 25, 2011

Q&A: Barham Salih

Shortly after signing watershed deals with ExxonMobil, the KRG's prime minister discusses the resource curse, the U.S. withdrawal, and the future of Kurdistan's oil sector.

Nov 18, 2011

Oil law negotiators hit reset

Casting aside the two latest conflicting oil laws, Baghdad's Luaibi and the KRG's Hawrami will negotiate based on 2007 draft legislation.

Nov 15, 2011

Q&A: Ashti Hawrami

The Minister of Natural Resources for the Kurdistan region of Iraq talks about the ExxonMobil deal, prospects for the oil law, and refining policies.

Nov 14, 2011

Maliki to IOCs: us or them

The Iraqi prime minister has sent clear messages to ExxonMobil -- and other companies -- threatening retaliation against controversial deals with Kurdistan.