By Ahmed Mousa Jiyad. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Preliminary Assessment of MoO-Chevron Agreements On February 23, 2026, the Ministry of Oil (MoO) website published a very brief statement indicating the signing of bilateral and trilateral settlement and framework agreements with […]
By John Lee. Preliminary principles agreements have been signed covering the transfer and development of several oil fields in southern and central Iraq. The first agreement was signed between Basra Oil Company (BOC) and US oil major Chevron for the transfer of management of the West Qurna 2 field. A second agreement was signed between […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Council of Ministers has approved an amicable settlement with Lukoil to transfer petroleum operations at the West Qurna 2 field to Basra Oil Company (BOC). The settlement addresses outstanding matters relating to invoices and the employment of foreign staff, subject to certification by a reputable external auditor. It also designates the […]
By John Lee. Energy Intelligence reports that Iraq's state-owned Basra Oil Company (BOC) has subcontracted management of the West Qurna-2 oil field to a consortium of Italian engineering firm Bonatti and local firm Hilal al-Basra [Crescent Basra]. West Qurna-2, operated by Lukoil under a service contract, is fully state-owned. Following recent US sanctions on Lukoil […]
By John Lee. Russia's Lukoil has signed an agreement with US investment company Carlyle for the sale of LUKOIL International GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary that holds the its international assets. The agreement is non-exclusive and subject to regulatory approval, including permission from the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Lukoil […]
By Simon Watkins for OilPrice.com. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Is Iraq About to Make Its Biggest Geopolitical Pivot in Years? Washington's escalation of sanctions on Russia's top oil firms has opened space for Western majors to re-enter Iraq. Click here […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Embassy in Moscow has issued a clarification regarding reports that Iraq plans to nationalise the West Qurna-2 oil field, operated by Russia's Lukoil. The embassy confirmed that the field is fully state-owned. Under the 2008 licensing round agreement, Lukoil managed and developed the field and produced oil under a service […]
By John Lee. State-owned Basra Oil Company (BOC) has been approved by the Council of Ministers to assume responsibility for managing petroleum operations at the West Qurna 2 oilfield, in line with the provisions of the field's service and development contract. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the Cabinet decision also authorises the […]
By Yesar Al-Maleki, for the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS) at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). The opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Rebuilding Resilience: The Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline's Role in Iraq's Oil Export Security The resumption of Kurdish crude […]
By John Lee. Iraq participated via video link in a meeting of OPEC+ countries to review global oil market conditions and the production outlook, as the group confirmed it will maintain its current production policy during early 2026. Full statement from OPEC: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman reaffirm commitment to […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil has issued exclusive invitations to several major US oil companies to submit bids for taking over the operatorship of the West Qurna-2 field. The Ministry said it is pursuing a transparent, competitive process based on approved criteria for awarding oilfield development contracts. Direct negotiations are under way with […]
By John Lee. The United States has issued a sanctions waiver allowing continued operations related to Russia's Lukoil until 13th December, following restrictions imposed earlier this month. Lukoil said on 14th November that it is in negotiations with several potential buyers for its international assets, adding that a deal will be announced once agreements and […]
