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 […]
A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government participated in the 3rd Middle East Summit on Anti-Corruption. The conference was a platform for senior-level executives in both public and private sectors to discuss strategies for minimizing bribery risks in the Middle East and implementing an effective and risk-based global compliance program. Ms Nisar Talabany, Senior Adviser […]
Exports of crude oil from northern Iraq via the Turkish port of Ceyhan (pictured) have resumed on Monday after a three-day halt resulting from sabotage to the pipeline network in Turkey, according to Bloomberg. Ziad Ahmad al-Obaidi, an official from the North Oil Company said the initial rate was 400,000 barrels to 500,000 bpd. Iraqi […]
Bloomberg reports that militants have bombed an Asiacell equipment building near Mosul, damaging the mobile phone operator's network and knocking out service in some northern areas. The four attackers, some of whom wore military uniforms, held guns to the heads of security guards late on Thursday and planted four large explosives in a building housing […]
There was no significant increase or decrease in the number of attacks recorded in Iraq last week but the fatality figure doubled from the previous week. At least 101 people were killed and 216 injured in nationwide incidents. Conditions appear to have worsened since the US military pullout at the end of 2011 and the […]
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a $122 million contract to install and sustain Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) systems at forward operating bases (FOBs) supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and the ongoing United States Mission in Iraq (USM-I). The contract includes options that, if fully exercised, would raise the potential value of the contract to […]
Iraq's Commission of Integrity (CoI) reports that it referred 4,365 cases of suspected corruption to the courts in 2011. The number of individuals accused in those cases was 5,682. The statistics, made by the Legal Office/CoI, showed the number of the distribution of these referrals is as follows: These numbers represent cases that were processed […]
The following is a presentation by General Barry R McCaffery (USA, retired), on the threat of an Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Barry McCaffrey served in the United States Army for 32 years and retired as a four-star General. At retirement, he was the most highly decorated serving General, having been awarded three […]
