By John Lee. It's a deal that could cement a prosperous shared future for Baghdad and Arbil. But despite the new good will between the two sides, there is huge political opposition from Iraqi Arabs who object to the current terms. In the Kurdish region, many feel that the history has already turned toward their […]
By John Lee. The State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) has denied that it is waging a price war against other oil producers. The company recently slashed price to its Asian customers due to what it described as "changes in the market" but has denied that this was an attempt to undercut other members of the […]
By John Cookson. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Traders will tell you the price of oil is a speculative market based on expectations. Most of Iraq's oil production is from the mega fields in the south, far from any fighting. But […]
By John Lee. Iraq and Iran, which together hold more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia, are planning to challenge Saudi Arabia's grip on OPEC and its status as the "swing producer" in the cartel, according to a report from The Telegraph. With Iraq poised to triple its capacity to 9 million bpd by 2020, the result […]
On Friday, the International Energy Agency warned that oil supply from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries was falling, as it raised its forecast for demand for the exporters group's crude this year. "Continued supply outages in Iraq and Libya…may reduce the group's output in coming months," the IEA said in its monthly oil […]
By John Lee. OPEC crude output hit a four-month low in July as unrest and conflict in Libya and Iraq disrupted supplies, a Reuters survey found on Wednesday. Supply from the organization averaged 30.25 million bpd, down from 30.38 million bpd in June, and the lowest since March 2013 when the group pumped 30.18 million […]
Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem al-Luaibi [Elaibi] talks about the extension of Abdalla El-Badri's tenure as secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He spoke with Bloomberg Television's Ryan Chilcote in Vienna: (Source: Bloomberg)
By John Lee. OPEC ministers have failed to agree on a new secretary general and have asked Abdalla el-Badri to stay in the post for another year. Four countries had been competing for the job -- Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Ecuador -- but Ecuador’s candidate, oil minister Wilson Pastor-Morris, announced last week that he […]
The opening address to the 162nd Meeting of the OPEC Conference, by HE Abdul-Kareem Luaibi Bahedh, Minister of Oil of Iraq and President of the Conference: Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to Vienna for the 162nd Meeting of the OPEC Conference. I should like to extend a special welcome to His Excellency Dr Abdel Bari […]
Reuters reports that OPEC has delayed a meeting of officials to help select its new secretary general, putting off delicate talks that could reignite rivalry for influence as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq seek the top post. A panel of officials was initially planned to convene at OPEC's Vienna headquarters during August, but the meeting […]
By John Lee. Iraq’s crude oil output rose above 3 million barrels a day last month for the first time since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, according to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Iraq pumped 3.08 million barrels a day in July, 115,000 barrels more than the previous month, outpacing […]
By John Lee. Iraq’s crude oil production overtook Iran’s last month for the first time since 1988, when the countries ended their eight-year war, reports Bloomberg. Iraq pumped 2.984 million barrels a day in June, versus 2.963 million bpd for Iraq, OPEC said today in its Monthly Oil Market Report. Production from Iran fell ahead […]
