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)

Feb 14, 2023

Q&A: Habib Abdul-Ameer Aoda, Deputy Manager of the FCC Project at Shuaiba Refinery

A long-delayed upgrade of Iraq's largest refinery is now moving forward, promising to boost high-octane fuel production and reduce dependence on imports.

Feb 14, 2023

KRG misses deadline to end gas flaring

Payment delays to oil companies and bureaucratic disarray have kept the KRG from meeting its own ambitious target for ending the wasteful and polluting practice at several fields.

Feb 9, 2023

Talks advance for Exxon to exit West Qurna 1

ExxonMobil is aiming to sell its stake to two buyers, Pertamina and Iraq’s state-run BOC, leaving PetroChina to take over as operator.

Feb 8, 2023

January oil exports dip as Iraq begins year of OPEC constraints

Both federal and KRG oil sales fell slightly as OPEC-plus gave no sign of lifting production caps.

Feb 8, 2023

Cabinet gives momentum to 5th bid round deals and Nibras project

The Sudani administration appears to be pushing forward long-delayed plans to develop Iraq’s upstream and downstream gas sector.

Feb 7, 2023

Northern crude exports resume after earthquake outage

More than 400,000 bpd of crude exports are back online after Turkish authorities determined there was no major damage to the pipeline to Ceyhan.

Feb 7, 2023

Northern oil export pipeline offline after massive earthquake

Precautionary outage is expected to be temporary as Turkish authorities work to confirm pipelines, pumping stations, and export infrastructure were not damaged.

Feb 4, 2023

TotalEnergies reverses Iraq exit decision, reviving hope for mega-deal

"Goodwill gesture" keeps the door open to further negotiations ahead of a Feb. 15 deadline, but key points of contention still appear unresolved.

Feb 1, 2023

TotalEnergies starts Iraq exit as negotiations falter

The death of the $27 billion deal would represent a multi-year setback in Iraq’s efforts to boost production of oil, gas, and electricity.

Jan 31, 2023

Iraq-Turkey arbitration moves one step closer to final ruling

A draft ruling is pending approval by the International Court of Arbitration, with Kurdistan's oil independence potentially hanging in the balance.