December production stumbles on temporary Rumaila outage
Iraq finished 2019 with its lowest monthly production average of the year due to OPEC cuts and a brief output drop at its most prolific field. Workers move equipment at Continue Reading
Iraqi security forces kill one protester, wound 25: sources
Iraqi security forces killed at least one protester and wounded 25 others on Friday when they launched tear gas canisters to break up a crowd trying to breach Baghdad’s Sinak Continue Reading
How Vulnerable Is Iraqi Oil Production?
Just as Iraq has increased its crude oil production and export capacity over the past decade, the recent flare-up of tensions in the Middle East suggest that OPEC’s second-largest oil Continue Reading
Is Iraq Too Risky For Oil Majors?
The US and Iran seem to be have stepped back from the brink of armed conflict, at least for now, but many oil and gas companies nevertheless face serious decisions Continue Reading
Iraq is ‘potentially vulnerable’ oil supplier, IEA says
Iraq is a “potentially vulnerable” oil supplier and heightened security concerns about OPEC’s second-biggest crude producer could make it more difficult to ensure sufficient spare production capacity, the International Energy Continue Reading
Iraq’s oil supplies ‘vulnerable’ as strategic clout grows
Highlights OPEC’s number two is growing in strategic importance Iraq pumping around 4.6 million b/d Security concerns continue to threaten key projects Dubai — Iraq is a “potentially vulnerable” oil Continue Reading
Iraq’s Caretaker Prime Minister Leaves Decision Whether to Expel U.S. Troops to Successor
Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi indicated he would leave a decision whether to expel U.S. forces from the country to his successor, potentially slowing a push that could trigger Continue Reading
Iraq’s future uncertain as rival militias seek revenge for US strike
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, one of the most powerful militia commanders in Iraq, was killed in the same US air strike that eliminated the Iranian spymaster Qassem Soleimani and pushed Washington Continue Reading
Could ISIS Take Control Over Iraq’s Largest Oil Field?
As always, it’s the fear of sanctions that provides the leverage Trump seeks in this cat-and-mouse game with Iran. And this time, the leverage is over Iraq, which would like Continue Reading
Oil workers injured in shootout near Halfaya
Two Chinese oil workers and an Iraqi security guard are in stable condition after their work transport bus was caught in the middle of a gun battle between rival tribes Continue Reading
Iraq-U.S. tensions endanger counter-insurgency fight
A diplomatic crisis between Iraq and the U.S. is raising uncertainty and concern among Iraqi security officials responsible for beating back an ongoing insurgency being prosecuted by the self-proclaimed Islamic Continue Reading
U.S. Warns Iraq It Risks Losing Access to Key Bank Account if Troops Told to Leave
The Trump administration warned Iraq this week that it risks losing access to a critical government bank account if Baghdad kicks out American forces following the U.S. airstrike that killed a Continue Reading
As U.S.-Iran Tensions Flare, Iraq Is Caught in the Middle
The walls of the American Embassy in Baghdad were still on fire and members of pro-Iranian armed groups were chanting threats outside when Iraq’s prime minister tried to explain the Continue Reading
Iraq asks United States to set up mechanism for troop withdrawal
The Trump administration refused again Friday to recognize Iraq’s call to withdraw all U.S. troops, saying that any discussion with Baghdad would center on whatever force size the United States Continue Reading
Washington turns down Iraqi call to remove troops
Washington on Friday spurned an Iraqi request to prepare to pull out its troops, amid heightened U.S.-Iranian tensions after the U.S. killing of an Iranian commander in Baghdad, and said Continue Reading
Iraqi oil output steady at 4.46 mil b/d, in line with OPEC quota: ministry
Iraq’s crude production is steady at 4.46 million b/d in line with its OPEC quota and has not been affected by recent events in OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, an oil Continue Reading
Iraq’s oil seen safe for now, but what comes next may be challenge
Iraq has proven it can maintain oil production and exports without US workers for a short period, but there are major risks to crude supply from OPEC’s second-largest producer if Continue Reading
Trump administration works on Iraq sanctions, but analysts warn of consequences
Following President Trump’s warning earlier this week, administration officials are in the preliminary stages of developing sanctions on Iraq, a path the president could legally set upon but could create Continue Reading
Iraq Knew The U.S. Attack Was Going To Happen
Iraq said on Wednesday that it had been notified by Iran that Tehran had launched a retaliatory strike against U.S. troops in Iraq to avenge the killing of top Iranian Continue Reading
Iraq again sets oil export record in 2019
Iraq set an all-time record for annual oil sales in 2019, as the federal government and autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) combined for an average 3.968 million barrels per day Continue Reading
Is Iraq About To Become A Chinese Client State?
Following the political and popular backlash in Iran over details of its plans to make the Islamic Republic effectively a client state through various multi-layered oil and gas deals, China Continue Reading
U.S. sanctions threats cast shadow on Iraqi economy
Billions of oil dollars and access to Iranian power and gas are at risk if Trump rejects a sanctions waiver renewal next month – or worse, if Iraq is sanctioned Continue Reading
Iraqi oil output steady at 4.46 mil b/d, in line with OPEC quota: ministry
Iraq’s crude production is steady at 4.46 million b/d in line with its OPEC quota and has not been affected by recent events in OPEC’s second largest oil producer, an Continue Reading
Chevron temporarily evacuates expat staff from Iraq
Chevron has temporarily evacuated expatriate staff and contractors from Iraqi Kurdistan in response to the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and heightened tensions in the Middle East, but said Continue Reading
Iraq-U.S. rifts widen after assassinations
Relations between Iraq and the U.S. are descending into uncertainty and turmoil, as Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi formally notified the U.S. on Monday that he intends to implement a Continue Reading
Iraq wants foreign troops out after air strike; Trump threatens sanctions
Iraq’s parliament called on Sunday for U.S. and other foreign troops to leave as a backlash grows against the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general, and President Donald Trump Continue Reading
Asian markets yet to rule out supply disruption for Iraqi Basrah crude
Singapore-based Middle East crude oil traders said they were not ruling out the possibility of Iraqi Basrah crude supply being impacted as a result of political or logistical hurdles, following Continue Reading
Oil Firms Tighten Security After U.S. Strike on Iranian Commander
Oil companies in the Middle East are tightening security as U.S. officials say American energy infrastructure in the region is a likely target for Iranian retaliation following the killing by Continue Reading
Rival Shi’ite leaders in Iraq call for U.S. troop expulsion in rare show of unity
Rival Shi’ite political leaders on Friday called for American troops to be expelled from Iraq after a U.S. air strike in Baghdad killed a senior Iranian general, in an unusual Continue Reading
U.S. oil workers leave Iraq after air strike on Iranian leader
BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) – U.S. citizens working for foreign oil companies in the southern Iraqi oil city of Basra were leaving the country on Friday, the Oil Ministry said, after Continue Reading
Iraqi oil sector holds fast amid storm of U.S.-Iran conflict
Iraq’s oil sector is operating without disruption, despite the evacuation of some foreign oil workers in the aftermath of the U.S. assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassim Soleimani and Continue Reading
December exports fall, but revenues rise on strong oil price
Iraq’s nationwide crude exports fell by more than 3 percent to an average 3.874 million barrels per day (bpd) in December. * The decreased oil sales appeared to reflect Iraq’s Continue Reading
Rock-throwing Iraqi militias quit U.S. embassy after protests
Supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups who stormed the U.S. embassy’s perimeter and hurled rocks in two days of protests withdrew on Wednesday after Washington dispatched extra troops and threatened Continue Reading
Senior brain drain looms for Oil Ministry if federal retirement order goes into effect
Two of Iraq’s four deputy oil ministers, the chief of oil contracts, and nearly a dozen senior Oil Ministry officials are included in the first tranche of officials forced out Continue Reading
Protesters burn security post at U.S. Embassy in Iraq; Pentagon sending more troops to region
Protesters angry about U.S. air strikes on Iraq hurled stones and torched a security post at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, setting off a confrontation with guards and Continue Reading
U.S. deploying 750 soldiers after protest at U.S. Embassy in Iraq: Pentagon chief
The United States is immediately deploying about 750 soldiers to the Middle East in response to the violent protests at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Continue Reading
Why the U.S. Became the Focus of Iraqis’ Anger
Months of anti-government protests had centered on Iran’s influence in the country. A rocket attack and a series of airstrikes changed that. For months, furious protests have battered Iraq, driven Continue Reading
Turmoil in Iraq comes amid shrunken U.S. diplomatic footprint
The storming of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by protesters on Tuesday has underscored the vulnerability of U.S. diplomats in a country stuck in the middle of a mounting conflict Continue Reading
Iraq condemns U.S. air strikes as unacceptable and dangerous
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Monday condemned U.S. airstrikes on bases of Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, a move that could plunge Iraq further into the heart of a proxy Continue Reading
Protesters outside U.S. Baghdad embassy rage against air strikes
Thousands of protesters and militia fighters gathered on Tuesday outside the main gate of the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad to condemn air strikes on bases belonging to an Iranian-backed Continue Reading
U.S. Baghdad ambassador evacuated from embassy amid protests: Iraqi officials
The U.S. ambassador and other staff have been evacuated from the embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad as protests rage outside, two Iraqi Foreign Ministry officials told Reuters on Tuesday. Continue Reading
American Airstrikes Rally Iraqis Against U.S.
Associated Press Iraq has been caught for years in a tug of war between its two most powerful patrons, the United States and Iran. In recent months, public opinion began Continue Reading
Political vacuum could upend key Oil Ministry plans
A project to double the Nassiriya field’s production capacity is tied to a federal budget likely strangled by political fighting. Flares burn at the Nassiriya oil field on May 7, Continue Reading
Nassiriya oil field shut in as protests block staff access
The Dhi Qar Oil Company (DQOC) on Saturday shut down the Nassiriya oil field as job-seekers crowded around the state-run company’s headquarters and its flagship asset — the latest instance Continue Reading
Top Iraqi militia leader warns of strong response to U.S. air strikes
A top Iraqi militia leader warned of a strong response against U.S. forces in Iraq following air strikes in Iraq and Syria overnight that hit several bases of his Iranian-backed Continue Reading
U.S. Strikes Shiite Militia Targets in Iraq and Syria
The U.S. carried out airstrikes against an Iranian-backed Shiite militia group in Iraq and Syria, in the Trump administration’s most forceful response to Tehran’s assertive posture in the region. The Continue Reading
U.S. Launches Airstrikes on Iranian-Backed Forces in Iraq and Syria
The United States military on Sunday struck five targets in Iraq and Syria controlled by an Iranian-backed paramilitary group, the Pentagon said, a reprisal for a rocket attack on Friday Continue Reading
Iraq resumes southern field production after protesters halt work: ministry
Highlights No impact on output, exports due to Nasiriyah shutdown OPEC’s second largest oil producer is flouting its quota Dubai — Iraq resumed on Monday production from the Nasiriyah southern Continue Reading
Iraqi president threatens to quit in defiance of Iran’s allies in parliament
Iraqi President Barham Salih refused on Thursday to designate the nominee of an Iran-backed parliamentary bloc for prime minister, saying he would rather resign than appoint someone to the position Continue Reading
ISIS at a crossroads
Islamic State fighters are regrouping in a remote stretch of eastern Iraq, aiming to revive their fortunes after the defeat of their caliphate early this year. “They are posing a Continue Reading