Deputy PM appointment reshuffles oil sector power structure

Mohsin al-Mandalawi has already led talks with ExxonMobil and the KRG, a signal the Prime Minister's Office could be taking a larger role in strategic energy decision-making.

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Mohsin al-Mandalawi (center) and Oil Minister Bassim Mohammed Khudair (left) meet with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (right) in Zakho on Oct. 25, 2026. (Photo credit: KRG)

Energy

Iraq signs Syria crude trucking deal with Qatar’s UCC

Iraq’s Cabinet approves a three-month deal that prices crude as if it were shipped from Basra, extending wartime Gulf shipping discounts to trucked oil in a bid to diversify export routes.

Politics

Baghdad starts top-up payments to KRG oil companies

The payments could set a positive precedent for oil contracts Baghdad had previously sued to invalidate, but a new dispute over the KRG's share threatens the broader export deal.

Security

Insurgency persists as U.S.-led coalition leaves Iraq

IS militants no longer hold territory but still probe for security gaps, while Iraqi officials give contrasting assessments of how the U.S. withdrawal will affect future capacity and stability.

Interviews

Q&A: Ali Shaddad al-Faris, member of the Parliament Oil and Gas Committee

The longtime Basra MP discusses the prospects for a national oil law, a revision to the refinery investment law, and a wave of oil sector corruption arrests.