BAGHDAD: Iraq’s federal authorities have filed a complaint against the autonomous Kurdistan region for signing gas contracts with two US companies, two officials told AFP on Tuesday.
Oil exports have been a major point of tension between Baghdad and Irbil, with a major pipeline through Turkiye shut since 2023 over legal disputes and technical issues.
Regional prime minister Masrour Barzani announced the signing of two major energy deals valued at “tens of billions of US dollars” during a visit to Washington in May.
Iraq’s oil ministry immediately slammed the agreements, saying it constitutes a “clear breach of Iraqi law” and that all oil and gas development must go through the federal government.
An Iraqi government official, who requested anonymity to speak on the matter, told AFP that a lawsuit had been filed before Baghdad’s Al-Karkh commercial court.
A Kurdish official confirmed the complaint, saying it called for “the cancelation of the contracts.”
The agreement with WesternZagros involves the development of the Topkhana block, which together with the neighboring Kurdamir block is estimated to contain up to 5 trillion standard cubic feet of natural gas and 900 million barrels of crude oil.
According to a press release, this could generate an estimated $70 billion in revenue over the lifetime of the project.
The deal with HKN Energy covers the Miran gas field, which may hold up to 8 trillion standard cubic feet of natural gas, with a projected long-term value of $40 billion.
Oil exports were previously independently sold by the Kurdistan region, without the approval or oversight of the central administration in Baghdad, through the port of Ceyhan in Turkiye.
But the region’s oil exports have been at a standstill since March 2023 when the arbitration tribunal of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris ruled that oil exports by the regional government were illegal.
Iraq sues Kurdistan region over US gas contracts: official
https://arab.news/jgvtb
Iraq sues Kurdistan region over US gas contracts: official
- Iraq’s oil ministry slammed the agreements between the KRG and Washington, saying it constitutes a “clear breach of Iraqi law”
Lebanese government imposes immediate ban on Hezbollah’s military activities
BERUIT: Lebanon's government said Hezbollah’s overnight attack against Israel were “illegal” and imposed an immediate ban on the group’s military activities, while also demanding its hand over its weapons.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said only the state could decide whether to go to war and called on the Lebanese military to prevent the firing of projectiles and detain anyone involved.
The move comes after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, provoking retaliatory Israeli strikes. The government convened for five hours and 15 minutes in an early morning meeting on Monday before reaching its decision.
The Lebanese cabinet meeting, chaired by President Joseph Aoun, started at 8am with ministers discussing the repercussions Hezbollah's launching of missiles from southern Lebanon into Israel and the Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Sources initially told Arab News that ministers were “pushing for a decisive response to Hezbollah’s recklessness, regardless of the consequences.”
Lebanese MP Melhem Khalaf said the priority was to “shelter people that are evacuating their homes in relatively safe places. What happened at dawn on Monday has taken us from one stage to another, and we don't know where they've taken us.”
As US-Israeli attacks on Iran continued, Hezbollah said it fired missiles from Lebanon into Israel early Monday in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and “repeated Israeli aggressions.”
There were no reports of injuries or damage, and Israel said it had intercepted one projectile, while several fell in open areas.
Israel retaliated with strikes on Lebanon, killing at least 31 people and wounding 149 others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Around two thirds of the dead were in the south of the country.
Lebanon’s government said it was holding an emergency meeting after Hezbollah’s attack triggered the Israeli airstrikes.
Iran has been firing missiles at Israel and Arab states in a counter-offensive since the joint America-Israeli attack Saturday that killed Khamenei and other top Iranian officials. The war has quickly expanded to proxy forces, including Hezbollah firing out of Lebanon.
MP Bilal Abdullah told Arab News: “All the appeals issued by officials in Lebanon not to embroil us in this destructive war seem to have been in vain. We were supposed to protect Lebanon.
“Whoever launched the missiles and drones from Lebanon has slaughtered Lebanon. Displacing people is a major tragedy. We are in the winter season, and the cold is severe.”
