Energy

Iraq seeks backup export options as Basra loadings falter

Cabinet orders emergency package for boosting oil sales after dropping to a multi-decade low in May.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (center right), Oil Minister Bassim Mohammed Khudair (far left), and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (second from left) confer at a Cabinet meeting in Baghdad on June 2, 2026. (Photo credit: Oil Ministry)

Oct 26, 2025

UPDATE: Depot fire temporarily cuts Iraqi crude exports

An explosion at the Zubair-1 depot has taken up to 1.5 million bpd of Basra Medium crude exports offline, as Iraq scrambles to divert production to storage and implement workarounds to recover export volumes.

Oct 16, 2025

Political disunity clouds KRG fiscal and energy outlooks

Deadlocked talks over forming a new regional Cabinet highlight a bitter rivalry between two ruling parties that poses risks to Kurdistan's economy and energy sector.

Oct 15, 2025

Iraq races to finalize oil deals ahead of elections

Sudani administration activates a major contract with BP and strikes preliminary agreements with ExxonMobil and Chevron as national elections near and deal-making window starts to shut.

Oct 3, 2025

Q&A: Bassim Mohammed Khudair, deputy oil minister for upstream

The deputy minister provides details on the new agreements to unlock northern exports, and an update on talks with ExxonMobil.

Oct 2, 2025

Iraqi exports trending up as Ceyhan loadings resume

Southern exports increased in September, and Iraq's nationwide oil sales are expected to climb further as the pipeline to Turkey reopens.

Sep 30, 2025

Analysis: Iraqi elections approach, with high stakes for energy sector

Political insiders weigh in on potential election outcomes and their implications for the country’s investment climate.

Sep 26, 2025

Iraq preps for northern exports after clinching tripartite oil deal

Test flows are expected to begin Saturday as Baghdad, Erbil, and IOCs reach agreement on cooperative pipeline exports via Turkey.

Sep 22, 2025

Kurdistan poised to restart pipeline exports

Baghdad, Erbil, and oil companies appear to have reached a three-way agreement to resume Kurdistan's oil exports under federal authority.

Sep 18, 2025

Iraq oil output rebounds in August

Production increased in August as OPEC-plus quotas continued to ease and fields in Iraqi Kurdistan recovered from drone attacks.

Sep 11, 2025

Deadly political divisions raise risks for Kurdistan

Rivalries between political leaders in Sulaimaniya have exploded into violence and undermined relations between Iraqi Kurdistan’s two ruling parties at a key political moment.