Category Archives: Oil

Oil and ISIS

By Freeyad Ibrahim: The terror organization , so-called ISIS, undeniably has multifunctional missions and tasks to achieve in the Middle East. It began first in Iraq. First: to be involved in Iraqi interior affairs and to impose a government to their liking, and that is what has happened recently. Second: to put pressure on the…

$100m Kurd oil reaches Texas and gets US approval

KT News: Despite previous US government objections to unilateral oil sales by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a tanker carrying 1 million barrels of crude Kurd oil has been cleared to unload its cargo at sea off Texas. The ‘United Kalavrvta’ has been at sea since leaving the Turkish port of Ceyhan in June. It was cleared…

Kurdistan independence referendum ‘won’t take long’: Barzani

KT News: President Barzani has indicated that it should not take long for the Kurdistan region to hold a referendum on independence. In an interview yesterday with Martine Dennis of Al Jazeera he said: “I can’t say exactly when. Parliament has done a lot by forming an independent commission. I don’t think it would take long”…

Why the petrol shortages in oil rich Kurdistan?

Photos by Maryam Ashrāfi: Commentary by our Suli correspondent The Kurdistan Region is closer than ever to becoming an independent state whose prosperity can be assured by burgeoning exports of crude oil. However, the daily reality for many citizens is currently huge queues to try and get enough petrol to go to work. Why is this…

Hawrami: We will export 1 million bpd of Kurd oil, including from Kirkuk

KT News: South Kurdistan Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami is talking about an 800 per cent increase in oil exports which will include oil pumped from the Kirkuk oil fields just recently secured by Kurdish peshmarga forces. “We expect to be able to export 1 million bpd by the end of next year, including crude…

New advance for Kurd oil: Kirkuk link to KRG pipeline to Turkey

KT News: Amidst the continued conflict and disarray in Iraq, south Kurdistan’s minister of natural resources. Ashti Hawrami, yesterday announced the completion of a link between the Kirkuk oilfields and the Kurdistan’s Regional Government’s (KRG) recently-built pipeline to Turkey. This follows last week’s military gains by Kurdish peshmarga forces which took control Kirkuk to prevent…

Kurd oil dispute sharpens: Iraq to ‘go to UN’, US warns of ‘serious legal risk’

KT News: The dispute over Kurdish oil sales has escalated with the Iraq oil minister threatening to appeal to the United Nations, and a US State Department official warning the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Turkey about legal risks. Speaking in Vienna yesterday, ahead of an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting, Iraq…

No matter how hard the wind howls at the mountain, the mountain never bows

Evin Cheikosman

By Evin Cheikosman: As per my previous blog post, If you control the oil, you control the country, South Kurdistan has decided to push forward with independent petrol exports to the international community through Turkey’s port, Ceyhan. This decision hit a nerve for the Baghdadi government which has threatened to take legal action against Turkey…

KRG blames Iraq oil ministry for revenue dispute, says sales will continue

Oil

KT News: The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) says in a statement today that the Iraq Ministry of Oil’s (MOO) ‘Request for Arbritration’ against Turkey will fail to block further international sales of Kurd oil exported by pipeline to Turkey. It also accuses the Ministry of misleading the Iraq federal government over KRG oil revenues and…

If you control the oil, you control the country

Evin Cheikosman

By Evin Cheikosman: If you control the oil, you control the country. This is Iraq’s motto and rightly so. It has the fourth largest reserves on the planet with some 143.1 billion barrels, and sales account for ninety-five percent of the national budget. Therefore after the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) made the decision on Thursday…

Iraq ‘to sue’ KRG and Turkey over Kurd oil sales

Kurdish oil

KT News: The Iraq central government has announced plans to take legal action against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Turkish government over yesterday’s shipment of Kurd oil from the Turkish port of Ceyhan. In a statement today, Iraq’s oil ministry accused the KRG of “illegally” exporting the crude oil. Iraq oil ministry spokesman…

Ceyhan Kurd oil sale revenues to go in KRG-controlled account, says Ministry

KT News: The KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) Ministry of Natural Resources says the revenues from yesterday’s first sales of Kurd oil exported via the Turkish port of Ceyhan will be deposited in a KRG-controlled bank account, adding that these funds “will be treated as part of the KRG’s budgetary entitlement under Iraq’s revenue sharing and distribution…

Nationalisation of Kurdish Oil & Gas – Kurdish Oil Report

By Shawan Dizayee: @ShwanKamiran The Oil & Gas industry is at an embryonic stage in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with several Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) being given to major industry giants such as ExxonMobil and Shell, but this is not enough. Nationalisation of oil is paramount for social integrity and economic stability. Nationalisation of…

Turkey ‘ready to sell Kurd oil to global markets’

KT News: Turkey is ready to sell Kurdish oil stored at its Ceyhan Mediterranean export hub to global markets, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said yesterday. Today’s Zaman reports that this signals an imminent end to the protracted dispute over oil revenues between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi central government.  However, there has been…

Iran ‘to build oil and gas pipelines soon’ to south Kurdistan

KT News: Iran will soon construct a natural gas pipeline and crude oil pipeline to south Kurdistan, says Anadolu Agency quoting Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials. The first pipeline will carry crude oil from the Kurdistan Region to Iran, and Iran will refine and send back the oil. The natural gas pipeline will carry Iranian gas…