Representatives from the federal and Kurdish authorities met mid-April
Baghdad and Erbil face off
Representatives from the federal and Kurdistan authorities have held in-person talks as they look to resolve a decade-old dispute over oil
Iraq’s federal authorities are in negotiations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as they seek to resolve years of disagreement over the semi-autonomous northern region’s oil sector. The high-level discussions follow a significant escalation of tensions since the start of the year, most notably the Federal Supreme Court’s declaration in February that the KRG’s oil and gas industry laws are unconstitutional and that contracts with IOCs should be voided. While the federal and regional governments have been feuding over control of the Kurdish oil and gas sector and—perhaps most importantly—its exports for years, the ruling marked a formalisation of Baghdad’s grievances and a sign of i
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
