Iraq and Iran move further apart

Baghdad’s pivot away from its neighbour is increasingly extending to their shared resources

Iraq has been giving Iran the cold shoulder in recent months as the new government in Baghdad cosies up to Washington and pivots to build closer ties with Riyadh. And the divergence is also evident in field complexes that sit on both sides of the border. The western part of the giant Iraqi Majnoon oilfield and Iran’s Yaran and Azadegan fields are parts of a shared formation. The overall Majnoon field holds c.38bn bl of oil in place and has been earmarked to reach a production capacity of 500,000bl/d in 2021.      The fields on the Iranian side are part of the West Karoun oilfield cluster, along with the giant Azar and Yadavaran fields. A source who advises both oil ministries tells Petroleum