Political problems threaten Iraq's oil industry
Renewed war in northern Iraq leaves Baghdad desperate to expand exports in the south. It may also lead to a deal with the Kurdish Regional Government – but rejoining Opec’s quota system is not on the cards, writes Gerald Butt
Under different circumstances, Iraq today would have been celebrating an all-time record for oil exports of 2.8 million barrels a day (b/d). Federal exports from southern Iraq in September topped 2.5m b/d, and were it not for the seizure of large areas of territory by Islamic State (IS), exports from federal fields in the north would have averaged around 300,000 b/d. But the circumstances in Iraq are anything but normal. Since early March, pipeline sabotage has prevented oil being pumped from northern federal fields through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP) to the Ceyhan export terminal in Turkey. At the same time, Baghdad continues to challenge the legality of oil production and exports from f
Also in this section
20 February 2026
The country is pushing to increase production and expand key projects despite challenges including OPEC+ discipline and the limitations of its export infrastructure
20 February 2026
Europe has transformed into a global LNG demand powerhouse over the last few years, with the fuel continuing to play a key role in safeguarding the continent’s energy security, Carsten Poppinga, chief commercial officer at Uniper, tells Petroleum Economist
20 February 2026
Sempra Infrastructure’s vice president for marketing and commercial development, Carlos de la Vega, outlines progress across the company’s US Gulf Coast and Mexico Pacific Coast LNG portfolio, including construction at Port Arthur LNG, continued strong performance at Cameron LNG and development of ECA LNG
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment
