Iraq’s federal government could wean itself off Iranian energy imports by taking advantage of gas production in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, a US official said Nov. 23, as OPEC’s second-largest oil producer continues to come under pressure from Washington to part ways with Tehran. “The US remains a steadfast champion of Iraqi sovereignty and continues to oppose Iran’s efforts to undermine it,” Mark Menezes, US Deputy Secretary of Energy, told a virtual Kurdistan conference organized by the US-Iraq Business Council. “The more that Kurdistan develops its gas resources and the closer it gets to being a regional energy hub the less dependent federal Iraq will be on Iranian gas imports.” Former Iraqi oil minister […]