This time for Iraqi gas?
The new Baghdad government hopes to succeed where predecessors have failed in developing supply
New Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdulghani took office in October pledging to accelerate gas development. Successive oil chiefs have been making the same promise for well over a decade, yet only a single significant non-associated field is onstream while the volume of associated gas productively harnessed remains less than that squandered in environmentally damaging flaring. Instead, Iraq remains dependent on imports from Iran, with all the fiscal and political issues that brings. There are, though, reasons to hope that Abdulghani might fare better than his predecessors, not least of these is awareness of the need to seize the opportunity created by conducive international market conditions. Us
Also in this section
3 March 2026
The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in US–Israeli strikes marks the most serious escalation in the region in decades and a bigger potential threat to the oil market than the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis
2 March 2026
A potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the escalating US-Iran conflict risks disrupting Qatari LNG exports that underpin global gas markets, exposing Asia and other markets to sharp price spikes, cargo shortages and renewed reliance on dirtier fuels
2 March 2026
The South Asian consumer’s next move could tighten the Middle East oil market overnight
2 March 2026
Canadian independent’s evolving portfolio in Trinidad and Tobago gives it access to the Atlantic LNG market and a close-up view of developments in neighbouring Venezuela






