The KRG oil sector is in the crosshairs of Iraq's Parliament and Turkey's president, who are seeking to stop the momentum of Kurdish secession after Monday's referendum.
The day before Monday's Kurdistan independence referendum, Iraq's National Security Council called on the world to respect claims to federal control over oil and borders.
Besieged by international pressure to delay its independence referendum, the KRG gets geopolitical backup from a Rosneft agreement to underwrite oil and gas export pipelines.
Negotiations begin over handing back the Majnoon operatorship, months after stake in West Qurna 1 was put up for sale, highlighting one major oil company's resistance to Iraq's tough terms.
Long-standing disputes over Kirkuk and its oil threaten to turn allies against each other as they prepare to chase IS from one of its last strongholds in Iraq.
The latest shakeup of Oil Ministry leadership sees longtime SOMO chief replaced with senior ministry official currently focused on financial matters.
The Norwegian oil company will get half of ExxonMobil's stake in the Bashiqa block, one of three contracts it still holds with Iraqi Kurdistan, in the latest confidence-building move that could help the sector regain its momentum.
Iraq's oil minister swapped the leaders at two of Iraq's most important state-run energy companies.
Iraq is averaging higher-than-expected oil prices so far this year, but is struggling to maintain export volumes as a result of OPEC cuts and disputes with Kurdistan.
By settling with Dana Gas and partners, the Kurdistan region avoids tens of billions of dollars of potential liability and commissions massive new gas production within two years.
