Oil exports rebound past 1.5 million bpd, but fiscal crisis persists

Export volumes doubled from June to July, and August is running higher still — yet revenues remain billions of dollars short of monthly spending needs.

A worker from Iraq's state-run Oil Pipelines Company repairs part of a pipeline in Babel province carrying oil products from the Shuaiba refinery in Basra, in February 2026. (Photo credit: Oil Pipelines Company)

Energy

Khor Mor sales to Baghdad test control over Kurdistan’s gas

The first federal purchases of gas could open a key market for producers — and trigger contractual and political battles with the KRG.

Politics

Maarij arrested in widening corruption crackdown

A second deputy oil minister has been ensnared in an expanding operation that has also taken down several MPs, with potential to reshape Iraq's political power balance.

Security

Renewed drone threats put Iraq’s energy recovery at risk

Twin threats to southern oil exports and Kurdistan's gas supply show Iran-aligned armed groups can still hit Iraq's energy lifelines.

Interviews

Q&A: Bassim Mohammed Khudair, Deputy Oil Minister for Upstream

Iraq's top upstream oil official confirms that production, curtailed by war, is ready to surge back online — but only once ships can reliably resume Basra Gulf export loadings.