Energy

Iran reversal on Strait of Hormuz threatens Iraq’s nascent export restart

Iranian forces blocked a tanker carrying Iraqi crude, dampening hopes for a durable resumption of Iraq's southern exports.

The Agios Fanourios I tanker prepares to dock at a single point mooring buoy in the Basra Gulf in April 2026 for the first loading of crude from Iraq's southern export outlets in more than a month. (Photo credit: Ministry of Transportation)

Sep 23, 2023

Technical talks signal potential progress on Iraq-Turkey Pipeline

Recent meetings show renewed efforts to set terms for reopening the export pipeline, but top-level political approval is hardly assured.

Sep 21, 2023

Q&A: Jumaha Sheyah al-Maliki, Director of Water Resources in Basra

Iraq's natural waterways have little spare supply for oil fields that need more water injection to sustain reservoir pressure and hit higher production targets.

Sep 20, 2023

August production surges as KRG fields partially revive

Fields in Kurdistan are raising production and selling into the local market, as output increases despite the ongoing northern pipeline closure.

Sep 19, 2023

Baghdad approves 3-month stop-gap funding for KRG

Three monthly loans of $538 million promise temporary relief to pay civil servant salaries, but unresolved questions loom for Kurdistan's oil industry.

Sep 15, 2023

Oil veterans bring energy expertise to Prime Minister’s Office

Fayadh Nema and Falah Alamri have deep relationships in the Oil Ministry and decades of experience with hot-button energy issues.

Sep 12, 2023

Budget stalemate threatens Kurdistan’s solvency and stability

Baghdad takes a hard line against budget transfers to KRG as negotiations falter, prompting civil servant strikes and imminent protests.

Sep 9, 2023

Iraq-Turkey negotiations highlight big barriers to northern pipeline restart

High-level diplomacy has failed to make progress, and a recent U.S. legal filing from Turkey suggests a new phase of adversarial action.

Sep 7, 2023

Iraqi exports hold above 3.4 million bpd in August

Iraq is pushing the limits of its outdated southern export infrastructure as a dispute with Turkey is keeping the northern pipeline system offline.

Sep 1, 2023

Q&A: Arkan Abdul-Satar Abdul-Jabbar, director of Zubair oil field

One of Iraq's most prolific oil fields can only meet production targets if it can secure additional supplies of water to inject into reservoirs.

Aug 21, 2023

Iraq crude oil production up in July as KRG oil trickles back online

Exports and output are rising, but Kurdistan's oil industry is still in crisis due to the northern pipeline outage.