Iraq Britain Business Council welcomes 4 New Members
By John Lee. The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) has welcomed four new members, bringing its membership to 71 companies: Crescent Petroleum: Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum is the only foreign oil and gas company to maintain a continuous presence in Iraq for three decades, and is the largest private oil and gas investor in the Kurdistan […]
Iraq "Not an Iranian Vassal State"
By Aaron Majid, for Foreign Policy. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. These days, Tehran is having trouble getting what it wants from its neighbor—a development Washington can encourage by backing off. It almost goes without saying these days that Iran […]
Will Trump Abort Iran’s Land-Bridge to the Med?
By Joe Macaron for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Will the Trump administration abort Iran’s land bridge to the Mediterranean? As the showdown between Washington and Tehran escalates elsewhere in the Gulf, Iran is giving high priority to an […]
Netherlands Resumes Training Mission in Iraq
By John Lee. The Netherlands has resumed its training mission in Iraq, following a brief suspension due to security concerns resulting from US-Iranian tensions in the region. The Dutch Ministry of Defence announced that, after a re-assessment of the situation, its courses can be re-started. A number of Dutch people are training Iraqi commandos in […]
Iraqi Factions a Wild Card in US-Iran Blame Game
By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi factions a wild card in US-Iran blame game It's hard to tell what's really on the minds of Iranian and US officials in the flurry of words they've […]
Interview: Martin Aggar, GM of Al-Burhan Security
By Padraig O'Hannelly. Last week, the US Embassy in Baghdad ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. Government employees from Iraq, as tension mounts between the Trump administration and neighbouring Iran. In the meantime, several other organisations have taken similar moves. While this has made headlines, has there been any real change on the ground? Iraq […]
Oil Minister slams Exxon decision to Evacuate Staff
By John Lee. Oil Minister Thamer al-Ghadban has criticised ExxonMobil's decision to temporarily evacuate staff from the West Qurna oil field as “unacceptable and unjustified”. In a statement on Sunday, he said the move was "political", and pointed out that other international oil companies are continuing to work freely. According to CNN, the company evacuated […]
Al-Khateeb: Don't Politicise Electricity
By John Lee. Iraq's Minister for Electricity has warned of the dangers of politicising the problems in the country's electicity sector. Luay al-Khateeb told AFP: "Electricity is a national security issue ... In the end, any political, economic or security crisis in Iraq will affect the whole region -- and the global economy will be […]
FAO inaugurates its new offices in Sulaymaniya
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, inaugurated its new office In Sulaymaniya [Slemani] under the patronage of the First Lady of Iraq - Ms. Serbagh Saleh; and with the participation of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Ms. Marta Ruedas; FAO Representative a.i. for Iraq Mr. René Verduijn; the […]
US Senate confirms Tueller as Ambassador to Iraq
By John Lee. The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Ambassador Matthew Tueller to be the Ambassador to Iraq. Tueller has most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to Yemen. A native of Utah, Utah, his other overseas assignments have included Ambassador to Kuwait, Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy Cairo; Political Minister Counselor at Embassy Baghdad; Deputy […]
Video: Rocket attack hits Baghdad's Green Zone
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. An apparent rocket attack has hit the high-security Green Zone. The area houses key government buildings and the United States embassy. Iraq's state-run news agency says a Katyusha rocket crashed in the area […]
Resumption of Flights between Iraq and Syria Postponed
By John Lee. Plans by Iraqi Airways to resume flights between Baghdad (pictured) and Damascus have reportedly been postponed. Syria's Ministry of Transportation said it had been informed of the "decision to postpone the trip of two Iraqi Airways planes today... until further notice," according to Rudaw. The Iraqi Embassy is said to have notified […]