The latest news from Iraq – oil, gas, business and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News
By John Lee. Election campaigning began formally today across Iraq, Asharq al-Awsat reports. Perhaps optimistically, they suggest this marks the end of the crisis with the Independent High Electoral Commission, following their return to work last week. Campaign posters and billboards already adorn many parts of Baghdad, as seen in this Al Arabiya slideshow. Radio Free Iraq […]
By John Lee. Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha, head of one side of the anti-Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham "Sons of Anbar" movement has condemned a series of attacks on bridges in the province trying to cut it off from the rest of Iraq. The Sheikh was typically defiant in his recent statement: "The Islamic […]
By John Lee. Samsung Engineering Co., Ltd. has officially announced that it was awarded the North (Hammar Mishrif) New Degassing Station Facilities contract for the ENI Zubair Oil Field Development project in Iraq, worth $840 million. The signing ceremony was attended by Samsung Engineering’s President & CEO Mr.Park Choong-Heum, South Oil Company’s Director General Mr. Dheyaa Jaafar […]
By John Lee. It was news that stunned many observers, but was met with resignation by others expecting chaos surrounding April's general elections in Iraq: Last week, Iraq's entire Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) resigned en masse. That decision was blamed by the commission on "political interference" over a proposal by the judiciary to disqualify […]
By Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Three months after the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) decided to avoid public appearances and maintain a low profile in Fallujah, the group put on a military parade in the center of the city to […]
By John Lee. The University of Arizona’s Drachman Institute is conducting an education program in heritage conservation through the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The goal of the program is to build Iraqi museum professionals’ capabilities for preserving the country’s rich cultural heritage. Faculty from the College of […]
By John Lee. Taqa (Arabic for "energy") has released it's full results for 2013, announcing that the company has secured regulatory approval for the development plan of the Atrush field in Iraq. The first oil production at Atrush is expected in 2015 (see Iraq section below.) For the full report on Taqa's 2013 results, including their […]
By John Lee. The delay in adopting Iraq's federal budget, in large part due to the dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government over oil exports and revenues, has reduced banking activity in the KRG by up to 25%, according to Adham Karim Darwesh. Darwesh, the manager of the Erbil branch of the Central Bank […]
The following was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On Tuesday, the members of the Iraqi electoral commission IHEC collectively presented their […]
By John Lee. Afren have announced their full year results for 2013, highlighting what they describe as record revenues and cash flows, production ahead of guidance, continued exploration success and significant balance sheet strength. Included here are the company results for their work in the Kurdish region of Iraq. You can see more detail on […]
By John Lee. Iraq's oil income is set to jump in April, boosted by the continued discount on Basra Light as of February last year, and increased shipments to Asia. February saw a record 3.6 million bpd in exports, setting a 3 decade record for Iraq. According to Bloomberg, who interviewed analyst Alexander Poegl of JBC Energy […]
By John Lee. The United States fully supports Iraq’s democracy and democratic institutions as defined and established in the Iraqi Constitution, specifically Article 102, which provides for the independence and neutrality of the Independent High Electoral Commission. Ensuring that upcoming parliamentary elections are held on schedule is of the utmost importance and we commend the […]
