Kadhimi woos Washington
The new Iraqi premier is leveraging the US administration’s loathing for Iran to secure energy investments
Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Kadhimi's first official trip to the US in late August, just months into the job, was followed by the announcement of a slew of gas and power-focussed deals with American energy companies. The White House described them as being designed to enable "rapid progress towards energy independence from Iran". Yet the details of the deals—or lack thereof—suggest Iran has little immediate cause to fear losing either the cash or political influence it gains from its arrangement. The five US agreements’ stated value of “up to $8bn” covers a broad range—and only one had a specific value attached. The key accord, in terms of the core US aim of increasing Iraqi gas production,
Also in this section
24 October 2024
Producers in the region see significant gains to be made by boosting output using the infrastructure already in place
23 October 2024
Markets have seen no material disruption from the war so far, but as the fighting goes on it is a matter of when, not if
23 October 2024
Majors in the region are pushing boundaries and could see significant upside, but longer-term risks remain
22 October 2024
Angola is unlikely to meet the official timeline for an IPO of state-owned oil giant Sonangol in 2026