U.S. sanctions Maarij, escalating pressure over next Iraqi Cabinet

The first American designation of a sitting senior Oil Ministry official comes as Iraqi leaders negotiate the composition of a new government.

Oil Minister Hayyan Abdulghani (left) meets with Deputy Minister Ali Maarij at the Oil Ministry in Baghdad on Oct. 21, 2024. (Photo credit: Oil Ministry)

Energy

Pipeline delays cap Iraq’s northern exports

The Iraqi side of the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline is still months away from coming online — a consequence of years of dysfunction that deprived Iraq of strategic export flexibility.

Politics

Ali al-Zaidi nominated for Iraqi premiership

The compromise candidate emerged as a constitutional deadline was expiring, breaking a deadlock among Iraq's Shia Islamist power brokers.

Security

Drone strikes signal escalating threat to Iraqi oil sector

A barrage of attacks hit five oil sites in southern Iraq on a single day.

Interviews

Q&A: Bassim Mohammed Khudair, Deputy Oil Minister for Upstream

Iraq's top upstream oil official confirms that production, curtailed by war, is ready to surge back online — but only once ships can reliably resume Basra Gulf export loadings.