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Iraqi oil minister sues Kurdish government over US contracts

Three sources with direct knowledge of this matter and a document show that the Iraqi oil ministry sued the government of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region over oil and natural gas contracts signed with U.S. companies.

The legal challenge is a new obstacle to the restart of oil flows through the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline, which have been stopped since March 2023 despite the pressure from the Trump administration.

Masrour barzani, prime minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), oversaw the signing two energy contracts worth a total of $110 billion in their lifetimes, with U.S. firms HKN Energy, and WesternZagros.

Has contacted companies but hasn't received a reply.

The agreement involves the development of the Miran, Topkhana and Kurdamir Gas Fields in the northern Iraqi City of Sulaimaniya.

Baghdad said that direct engagement between the KRG and companies without the inclusion of the federal government violated the constitution. The deal has been deemed "null" and "void".

The KRG defended these agreements by stating that they were based upon existing contracts.

Sources who spoke of Iraq's legal actions spoke under condition of anonymity, as they weren't authorised to talk publicly about it.

Barzani and U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio met on Friday in Washington, D.C., where they discussed the "need to resume oil exports through the Iraqi Turkish Pipeline from the Kurdistan Region," according to a KRG press release.

The Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal government have long had a tense relationship over the control of oil and gas.

The pipeline that runs through Turkey is a major concern.

The International Chamber of Commerce in Paris ruled that Turkey had violated the 1973 Treaty of Baghdad by facilitating Kurdish Exports without Baghdad’s consent.

The negotiations to resume Kurdish crude oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, which handled 0.5% of world oil supply at one time, have been stalled due to payment terms and contract specifics. (Reporting from Maha El Dahan and Ahmed Rasheed, in Dubai and Baghdad respectively; Writing by Yousef SABA; Editing by Kirsten Doovan and Barbara Lewis).

(source: Reuters)