Subscribe 

Energy

Northern pipeline restart offers limited relief

A political breakthrough unlocks Iraq's only secondary pipeline export outlet, but volumes are capped by infrastructure constraints and security threats.
Welders work to repair the Iraqi side of the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline in March 2026. (Photo credit: NOC worker)

Protestors attack West Qurna 2 field

Unemployed Basra residents invaded the offices of a local subcontractor, after years of unfulfilled promises and weeks of frustrated protests.

Dhi Qar blames Baghdad for oil missteps

The head of Dhi Qar province's oil authority told protestors that it was a Baghdad decision to change their work shifts, and promised to convey their concerns. Four months ago the Oil Ministry changed the shift of the South Oil Company (SOC) workers in Dhi Qar from a schedule that had them working 24-hour shifts […]

Missan engineers hold sit-in

Around 150 engineers in Missan province staged a sit-in demanding the provincial council provide them with permanent employment contracts and pensions. Amer Aziz Al-Jabri, a representative from the Missan Labor Union, said that, in addition to improved pay and conditions, engineers also staged the sit-in to "denounce injustices by provincial officials." The union claims that […]

Protestors seek to expel Turkey envoy

Hundreds of protestors in Diyala province demanded the expulsion of the Turkish ambassador to Iraq, claiming his country is meddling unduly in Iraq's internal affairs. The protest, staged in Khalis, a town 15km from the provincial capital Baquba, was part of a broader movement by Iraqis loyal to the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki […]

Ex-interior minister warns of insurgent camps

Former Iraq Interior Minster Baqir Jabr al-Zubaidi warned in a speech that training camps have been set up in northern and western Iraq for armed groups in a "regional plot" to destabilize the country. Zubaidi, also known as Bayan Jabr Solagh, spoke at the Missan province convention center in a forum with provincial and tribal […]

Basra farmers protest Exxon encroachment

Demanding payment for lost land and jobs in the oil field, Basrawis take to the streets to decry the West Qurna 1 project and its embattled developer, ExxonMobil.

Cabinet decisions: Feb. 12, 2013

Each week Beyond the Headlines features a raw translation of the Cabinet decisions, as made public in Arabic by the media office of the Council of Ministers. The fifth regular meeting to the Cabinet held in Baghdad, Tuesday, February 12, 2013 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and issued the following decisions: 1. […]

Exxon hires ex-U.S. officials to navigate Iraq

Former American ambassador James Jeffrey is now advising ExxonMobil, which has also retained Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley and other retired American officials to advise on Iraq.