Pentagon report: Iraq oil law, related laws stuck; Progress in oil and electricity sectors not necessarily sustainable…

A Pentagon report says four key oil-related laws in Iraq are "stalled" in political gridlock while gains in oil and power production could be lost, Ben Lando reports for United Press International. The quarterly report to Congress, "Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq," released Tuesday, said the law commonly known as the oil law is the furthest along the political process -- it made it to Parliament but is stuck in the Energy Committee.

Iraqi government officials on Wednesday expressed "regret" about what U.S. officials said was mismanagement of oil revenues, Sinan Salaheddin reports for The Associated Press. Iraq oil production and the price of oil itself increased over the past year, meeting the budget. "The government expresses regret over the statements of the U.S. government auditing office and some congressmen about how Iraqi government invests its money," said Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, responding to the concerns raised by key U.S. Senators, in a story broke by Ben Lando from United Press International and reported by Iraq Oil Report last Friday.