Iran casts shadow over Kurdish gas aspirationsThe Kurdistan region is facing political and military challenges as efforts to appoint a government in Baghdad descend further into chaosYears of wrangling over the status of Iraqi Kurdistan’s oil and gas sector are coming to a head. And as Baghdad descends into further political upheaval, Tehran appears likely to be the key beneficiary. Independent Kurdish oil exports have been a prominent issue since they began in 2007. But the declaration in February by Iraq’s federal court that these exports are unconstitutional has added a high-profile legal edge to proceedings—with Kurdish expansionism up against vested interests in maintaining the status quo. With production of c.450,000bl/d and exports of c.350,000bl/d, the Kurdistan region accounts for a little over 10pc of Iraq’s oil flows.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 30, 2022 20:37 UTC