High oil prices are spurring international oil companies in Kurdistan to raise production, even as they face new legal threats, political upheaval, and commercial uncertainty.

Output increases at several IOC-operated fields in southern Iraq were offset by cuts from Basra's state-operated fields.

Countrywide oil sales have rebounded to their highest level in two years, although infrastructure bottlenecks threaten to limit further increases.

Production is rising at the Gharraf field, while the Subba field prepares to come back online and the Nassiriya field starts a new drilling program.

Iraqi production is rising as two southern fields return from temporary outages and OPEC-plus quotas continue to loosen.

Smugglers are exploiting a growing margin between government-subsidized fuel and market prices in an illicit trade that is squeezing Iraq's fuel supply and costing the government billions.

Revenues surged due to spiking global prices, but exports dipped as infrastructure delays threaten to constrain oil sales going forward.

Iraq remains ready to expand production pending OPEC-plus allowances and ongoing field maintenance.

As OPEC-plus quotas lift, decades of infrastructure neglect have left Iraq poorly positioned to take advantage of prolific oil fields, high prices, and a market desperate for more crude.

The West Qurna 2 field is scheduled to return from maintenance sooner than expected, and the Nassiriya field is back online a week after protest-related disruptions.

Monthly revenues hit another 10-year high as exports rebounded from a January dip and global oil prices spiked.

Iraq wants to take a 40 percent stake in the $27 billion deal, but finalizing terms could prove difficult before a new government takes shape.

The 400,000 bpd field is entirely shut down for scheduled upgrade work, likely causing a short-term dip in Iraqi output at a sensitive time for oil markets.