The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Rosh Shaways [Rowsch Shaways], has asked government officials to stop threatening oil companies that are operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Bloomberg. “These statements will give a negative picture to investors and violate the state’s public policy of opening the economy and promoting investments in all fields,” […]
Iraq has threatened to expel Leighton Holdings from the country’s lucrative oil and gas fields, following the company's announcement on Monday of an investigation into possible corruption. The deputy head of the Iraqi Oil Ministry’s petroleum contracts and licensing directorate, Sabah Al-Saidi, told The Australian Financial Review he was shocked by claims that Leighton Holdings […]
Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week. At least 19 people were killed and 55 injured in nationwide incidents. This is a relatively low figure for the country. There was a decline in bombings and shootings countrywide. There were no suicide bombings or abductions reported, although a woman was rescued from captivity during a […]
BAE Systems in partnership with the Anniston Army Depot (ANAD) are refurbishing 440 M113A2 armored personnel carriers for Iraq through a foreign military sales contract worth more than $31 million. “The M113 refurbishment will give the Iraqi Army a capability which is relevant to a variety of threat environments,” said Joe McCarthy, vice president and […]
Leighton Holdings Limited (Leighton) has announced that it has reported to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) a possible breach of its Code of Ethics that, if substantiated, may contravene Australian laws. The possible breach related to payments that may have been made by Leighton’s subsidiary company, Leighton Offshore Pte. Limited, in connection with work to […]
Premier Nouri al-Maliki called on South Korea to provide Iraq with military training planes, as well cooperation in other armaments, according to Aswat al-Iraq. During his meeting with South Korean State Minister for Military Industries, Nu D Lee, Maliki called for activation of all contracts signed with the Korean side, in addition to supporting projects […]
Reuters reports that the Iraqi government had submitted a bill to parliament that would impose new restrictions on security firms to reduce the number of contractors and their private arsenals. "What the Interior Ministry worries about is that there is a giant army of these companies on the streets with their weapons," Deputy Interior Minister […]
The following is a transcript of a briefing by Thomas Nides (pictured), Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources at the US State Department, on Wednesday 8th February, regarding the reduction of personnel at the Iraqi embassy in Baghdad: MS. NULAND: Thank you, Operator, and thanks to all of you for joining us. We are pleased today […]
Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week. At least 18 people were killed and 48 injured in nationwide incidents, making it the quietest week in at least two months. A total of 26 bomb attacks left six people dead and 41 injured. They were mainly low-yielding in terms of casualties and were likely designed […]
Iraq, and the entire Gulf region is nervously contemplating the risk of possible Iranian action to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to sanctions imposed by the US and EU. And that nervousness is echoed around the world, as something of the order of a quarter of the world's oil supply is shipped through […]
Bloomberg reports that Iraq would lose the capacity to export 1.7 million barrels of crude a day if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz. “Iraq will have to depend on the northern route from where it can export 450,000 barrels a day through Turkey’s port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean,” Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad […]
The US State Department is planning to cut its diplomatic presence in Iraq by as much as half, the New York Times reports. Michael W. McClellan, spokesman for the embassy, said : “Over the last year and continuing this year the Department of State and the Embassy in Baghdad have been considering ways to appropriately […]
