The latest news from Iraq – oil, gas, business and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News
By Simon Kent. Iraqis suffered a second summer of 50C temperatures with the barometer climbing to 53C (127F) over the weekend, and the government declaring a national holiday. Iraqis typically describe this weather as akin to being in an oven or having a hair dryer blown against skin on a hot setting. While many Iraqis […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's oil exports have been recorded at an average of 3.28 mbpd for July, a rise from 3.18 mbpd in June. This is good news for Iraq, although a two month fall in exports due to infrastructure problems was offset by a slight increase in the price of oil. In June, a […]
By Simon Kent. Supranational organizations and countries at the US State Department organized Washington donor conference have made pledges of hundreds of millions of dollars for Iraq. This will take some financial strain off the Iraqi government as it struggles to assist over 3 million displaced people, amid slumped oil revenue and ongoing war expenditure. […]
By John Lee. Canadian Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan has announced that Canada will establish and staff a field hospital (or military hospital) as a part of its contribution to the forthcoming battle for Mosul, expected some time over the coming winter. Sajjan noted, "As part of our ongoing commitment, Canada will soon deploy up […]
By Mustafa Sadoon for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The military protocol agreement signed July 12 between the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government and the United States might create controversy in Iraq’s public and political circles, especially those that do not have good relations with the […]
The Financial Times reports that Iran finds Iraq to be a big market for its domestically produced goods, including fresh milk, antibiotics and cement. Yahya Ale Eshaq, head of the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, told the newspaper: “Iraq needs everything, which makes it the best market for Iranian-made goods ... “We can work with European […]
By Simon Kent. Apparently concerned about the lethal pathogenic H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, which has previously been reported in Iraq, the country has extended a ban on poultry imports. Previously French poultry product imports were banned in December, but in January the ban was extended to over 20 countries. Monday's ban on […]
By Simon Kent. Fahd Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Federation of Arab Contractors, has called upon more Arab businessmen and entrepreneurs to engage in the reconstruction of Iraq. At a conference in Amman over the weekend, Hammadi noted, “Currently, there are opportunities for investing in projects worth around $22 billion in Iraq in infrastructure and […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's PM Haider al Abadi has announced that a major battle to retake Fallujah from ISIS has begun. The town fell under the control of the terrorists in January 2014, after security deteriorated following months of Sunni protests against the government of Nouri al Maliki. Protesters accused Maliki of rounding up hundreds […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq is set to reopen its border with Jordan near the town of Rutbah, a remote settlement over 200km from Baghdad that was liberated from ISIS control last week. Around 200 militants were thought to have been present in the town, with most fleeing and some fighting to the death. When the […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's Ministry of Oil have announced a 20,000 m3 shipment of condensate, the third since exports began in March. It is likely that the proceeds from this sale will go to pay IOCs, who are still owed funds for contractual work, as stipulated by their Technical Service Contracts. A number of observers […]
By Ali Mamouri for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq finds itself facing a major political crisis, as parliament is obstructed, the formation of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's new cabinet has yet to be completed and popular protests continue to demand radical reform to the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The […]
