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By John Lee.

A transit cable agreement has been signed to route telecommunications capacity from the Gulf to Europe via Iraq.

The deal was concluded between the General Company for Telecommunications and Informatics and Asiacell's parent, Qatar's Ooredoo Group, under the auspices of Communications Minister Mustafa Jabbar Sanad.

The agreement enables the transit of data capacity across Iraqi territory, leveraging the country's position as a short and secure land corridor linking east and west within global telecoms networks.

(Source: Ministry of Communications)

By John Lee.

Al Mana Film Studios has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Baghdad Film Institute, under which Al Mana has become an Official Industry Partner of the Baghdad Film Connection Awards 2026.

As part of the agreement, Al Mana Film Studios will provide a project development services award of up to $5,000 to one selected project participating in the 2026 edition of Baghdad Film Connection. The award covers script consultancy, project development guidance, and creative mentorship.

Al Mana Film Studios will review and evaluate participating projects and select the winner, while the Baghdad Film Institute will provide access to relevant project materials and pitches.

Abdulrahman Al-Mana, Founder and CEO of Al Mana Film Studios, said the partnership would support filmmakers and create new opportunities for collaboration between cinematic talent in Qatar and across the Arab world.

(Source: Al Mana Film Studios)

By John Lee.

Iraq's fourth international oil, gas and licensing rounds conference has opened in Baghdad, with the Ministry of Oil outlining progress on exports, refining and infrastructure over the first 100 days of the new government.

According to the Ministry of Oil, Minister Basim Muhammad Khudhair al-Abadi said oil exports had risen from around 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) at the start of the government's term to more than 3 million bpd in September. He attributed this to the efforts of ministry staff, national companies and international partners.

The minister highlighted a number of priorities and developments:

• Signing of an Iraq-Turkey agreement to reactivate the northern export route and strengthen export security
• A strategic pipeline project with a consortium comprising Chevron, US company  TI Capital, and Qatari company UCC, linking Basra to Fishkhabur with a branch towards Baniyas in Syria
• Agreements signed during a visit to the United States covering field development, exploration blocks and oil infrastructure
• Successful negotiations with Japan's JGC to return to Iraq and resume work on a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) project at the southern refineries
• Securing petroleum products and logistics across all provinces during the Arbaeen pilgrimage period of approximately 60 days

Al-Abadi said the ministry's priorities for the coming period include increasing production and export rates, diversifying export routes, developing refining capacity, reducing gas flaring and monetising associated gas, reducing dependence on imported petroleum products, and expanding the role of Iraqi companies.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

By John Lee.

Iraq's Ministry of Oil has held talks with a delegation from Qatari company UCC on the proposed Basra-Haditha-Fishkhabur and Haditha-Baniyas pipeline project. Discussions covered the contract type, implementation timeline, and other technical matters.

Minister of Oil Basim Muhammad Khudhair al-Abadi, attended by Deputy Minister for Extraction Affairs Nassir Aziz, called for the acceleration of contracting procedures and the removal of all obstacles. He indicated that weekly meetings between the relevant parties on both sides would continue in order to reach agreement on the economic model and pipeline route.

UCC is leading a consortium that includes Chevron, TI Capital, and TotalEnergies for the project.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

By John Lee.

A $75 million trade finance facility has been agreed between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Al Mansour Bank for Investment (MBI), one of Iraq's leading private-sector banks.

The facility is provided under the EBRD's Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) and will offer guarantees and cash advances to support MBI's trade finance activities, covering political and commercial payment risks associated with cross-border import and export transactions.

According to the EBRD, the facility will help MBI expand its correspondent banking network and increase the availability of trade finance for Iraqi businesses, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), across sectors including agriculture, construction, manufacturing and consumer goods.

Accompanying technical assistance will include advisory support, specialised training, participation in the EBRD's Trade Finance e-Learning Programme, and workshops on compliance, fraud prevention and risk management.

MBI was established in 2006 and is majority owned by Qatar National Bank Group. It operates eight branches across Iraq, offering retail and corporate banking, trade finance and treasury services.

The EBRD began operations in Iraq in September 2025, focusing on private-sector development, access to finance and entrepreneurship.

(Source: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)

By John Lee.

A planned oil pipeline linking Haditha in Iraq to Baniyas on the Syrian coast is intended to serve as a strategic export route to European markets, according to the Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC). The project is expected to take between two and two-and-a-half years to complete.

Safwan al-Sheikh Ahmad, Director of Communications and Institutions at the Syrian Petroleum Company, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Iraq and Syria covers technical and financial surveys for the pipeline, which would run approximately 800 kilometres with a design capacity of around 2.5 million barrels per day.

Al-Sheikh Ahmad said the signing of the MoU coincided with a separate agreement between Chevron and two companies - US firm Capital TI and Qatar's UCC [Urbacon Trading & Contracting] - to carry out the pipeline's implementation works. He added that high-level coordination between the Syrian and Iraqi governments on the oil file had been reinforced by a recent visit to Syria by Iraq's foreign minister, during which the possible involvement of foreign companies in the project was discussed.

He noted that recent months had also seen an agreement between State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and the Syrian Petroleum Company for the transport of Iraqi fuel oil via the Al-Tanf border crossing to Baniyas, and onward to the Baniyas refinery for re-export to Europe by tanker.

Al-Sheikh Ahmad said the pipeline would reduce transportation costs and infrastructure strain in both countries, and that the MoU was expected to evolve into a full contract, with mutual visits, workshops, and field inspections planned for engineers and technicians from both sides.

The US State Department welcomed the initiative.

(Source: Iraqi News Agency)

By John Lee.

The Council of Ministers has approved the signing by Basra Oil Company (BOC) of a Heads of Agreement (HOA) and a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with a consortium comprising US firm Capital TI, Qatar's UCC [Urbacon Trading & Contracting], and US major Chevron.

The approval allows for a state-owned company to be added to the consortium as it proceeds with two strategic pipeline routes: a strategic export pipeline running from Basra to Haditha, Kirkuk and Ceyhan, and a second export pipeline route from Basra to Haditha and Banias.

According to the Council of Ministers, the agreements will allow the consortium to begin preparing integrated technical and financial studies comparing the viability of the two routes, without placing any final financial or contractual obligations on the Ministry of Oil.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

By John Lee.

Iraq has for the first time marketed cross-border internet transit capacity to Qatari company Gulf Bridge International (GBI), using the 'Civilisations Route' project stretching from Al Fao to Rabia.

According to the Ministry of Communications, the agreement was concluded under an Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) model, under which fibre-optic strands from the network are leased on a long-term basis. The ministry said it is the first time this model has been adopted in Iraq's history.

The Faw-Rabia corridor connects data traffic arriving from Asia and the Arabian Gulf towards Europe overland via Turkey, reducing latency compared with traditional undersea routes. The ministry noted that enquiries from Gulf states have been received since approximately one week ago, and that it has received the first payment in hard currency.

(Source: Ministry of Communications)

By John Lee.

The TIR international road transit system became fully operational in Iraq on 1 April 2025, with transport companies opening seven routes via the country and completing more than 1,000 operations within the first eight months, according to the International Road Transport Union (IRU).

Iraq subsequently made TIR mandatory for all goods transiting its territory by road in November 2025, reinforcing security and efficiency across cross-border operations. The Iraqi General Commission for Customs now requires all land-based transit to use TIR, with the system's electronic pre-declaration platform (TIR-EPD) integrated to support advance cargo information submission.

Notable transit times recorded under the system include:

• Poland to the UAE in 10 days, compared with 24 days via traditional multimodal routes
• Hungary to Jordan in around six days, against five weeks by non-TIR routes
• Romania to Jordan in five days, instead of eight weeks via multimodal routes
• Türkiye to Kuwait in four days, against a 45-day maritime journey
• Türkiye to the UAE in 10 days, compared with 20-30 days by sea

Kuwait's General Administration of Customs authorised TIR trucks to enter the country from the Iraqi border without trailer swaps following the system's rollout.

In October 2025, Syria launched its first TIR transit operations through Iraq to reach Gulf Cooperation Council markets, with shipments of live animals transiting Iraq before reaching Kuwait and Qatar.

IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said the TIR system had "immediately opened doors to efficient and secure trade via Iraq", adding that the Development Road project required "a harmonised border and customs system" of this kind. He also noted that, as maritime and air routes face disruption from regional conflict, Iraq was "fast becoming a vital land bridge between the GCC, Türkiye and Europe".

(Source: International Road Transport Union)

By John Lee.

Real GDP in Iraq is expected to fall by 8.9 percent this year, according to the World Bank's latest Global Economic Prospects report.

This represents a significant reduction on the previous forecast of 4.4 percent growth, issued one year ago.

The report says:

"The sharp slowdowns projected for Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar will be associated with worsening fiscal and current account balances stemming from declines in hydrocarbon revenues and, in some cases, increases in military spending."  

Growth projections for 2027 have been revised upwards from 3.1 percent to 12.2 percent, with 3.5 percent expected in 2028.

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(Source: World Bank)