Interviews

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.

Deputy Oil Minister Bassim Mohammed Khudair distributes gifts to orphans from the Rawad al-Khair Orphanage at an Oil Ministry ceremony to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad on Sept. 9, 2025. (Photo credit: Oil Ministry media office)

Apr 2, 2015

Q&A: Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari

Zebari discusses contract renegotiations with oil companies, financing Iraq's budget deficit, and building trust between Baghdad and Kurdistan.

Mar 30, 2015

Q&A: Oil Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi

Iraq's top oil man talks about renegotiating oil contracts, addressing long-standing disputes with Kurdistan, and building infrastructure and boosting exports.

Feb 11, 2015

Q&A: Peshmerga General Secretary Jabar Yawar

The chief of Kurdistan's Peshmerga forces discusses the fight against IS militants and new efforts to train irregular forces.

Jan 21, 2015

Q&A: Missan Oil Company DG Adnan Noshi Sajit

Oil production is booming in Missan province, which now accounts for nearly one-tenth of Iraq's output.

Jan 15, 2015

Q&A: Ahmad Chalabi

The head of the Parliament Finance Committee talks about priorities for cutting costs while being able to pay for defense, refugees and IOCs.

Jan 5, 2015

Q&A: Baz Karim, CEO of KAR Group

The CEO of Iraq’s largest private-sector energy company discusses KAR Group's projects across northern Iraq.

Dec 4, 2014

Q&A: Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari

The man holding Iraq's purse strings discusses the need to look forward despite years of acrimony over oil, land and revenues.

Sep 11, 2014

Q&A: Mustafa Sayid Qadir, Minister of Peshmerga Affairs

Kurdistan's defense minister spells out the kit needed to take back towns from ISIS, and says the KRG has to "unify and institutionalize" the Peshmerga.

Sep 8, 2014

Q&A: Kirkuk Governor Najmaldin Karim

In the aftermath of the rise of ISIS, Kirkuk's governor discusses Iraq's territorial disputes, control of the province's oil fields, and the future of BP.

Jun 20, 2014

Q&A: Falah Mustafa Bakir

Kurdistan's top ambassador says KRG territory now irreversibly includes the Kirkuk oil field, in a "new reality" of almost total Kurdish independence.