Iraq oil showdown

In an email to Iraq Oil Report, responding to a recent article about the oil dispute with Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, the top oil official in the Kurdistan region issues a written assault in an already tense war of words.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has signed two dozen contracts with international oil companies to explore for and produce oil. It cites the 2005 Constitution as giving it such authority. Two projects are ready to begin export, which would be added and needed income, but wrapped into a larger dispute over authority and revenue.