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)

May 21, 2025

Q&A: Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq

Iraq is expanding its port capacity, including a fast-track project to import liquefied natural gas in time for this summer's peak electricity demand season.

May 21, 2025

New KRG gas deals draw condemnation from Baghdad

U.S. firms HKN and WesternZagros have signed agreements for upstream gas development at the Miran and Topkhana fields.

May 14, 2025

April production drops as Iraq trims from Basra

Oil Ministry cuts output at Majnoon and other state-run southern fields in effort to meet OPEC-plus expectations.

May 9, 2025

Q&A: Hassan Mohammed Hassan, director general of the Iraqi Drilling Company

The new leader of Iraq’s state-run well drilling firm discusses plans to expand its rig fleet and increase revenues.

May 6, 2025

Iraq oil exports decrease in April

The Oil Ministry has issued major upward revisions of its February and March export figures, while preliminary data show a dip in April.

May 1, 2025

BP deal aims to revamp Kirkuk energy sector

Iraq is once again leveraging upstream development to finance gas and power projects.

Apr 29, 2025

March production rises on Rumaila recovery

Iraq’s biggest oil field has recovered from a January fire, boosting nationwide output but posing a challenge to OPEC-plus quota compliance.

Apr 23, 2025

Iraq terminates Akkas contract, drawing legal threats

Cabinet taps state-run Midland Oil Company as operator for fast-track gas field development with help from SLB, but contentious ouster of Ukrzemresurs could spark litigation.

Apr 17, 2025

Strategic water project makes progress, helped by Chinese financing

A China-Iraq finance program is set to provide billions of dollars for a seawater supply project that promises to enable a transformational increase in Iraq's oil production.

Apr 15, 2025

Q&A: Adnan al-Jaberi, deputy chairman of the Parliament Oil and Gas Committee

The Basra MP talks about the prospects for and obstacles to energy sector development in southern Iraq, Kirkuk, and Kurdistan.