Iraq to Receive 185,000 Barrels of Oil From Kurdistan as Exports Set to Restart
Iraq will receive around 185,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan after exports resume via a pipeline to Turkey, a deputy Iraqi oil minister told the state-run Iraqi News Agency on Sunday without providing a time frame.
Basim Mohammed Khudair said the halting of shipments from Kurdistan for nearly two years has left oil fields in the region in need of repair to restore their capacity to export 400,000 barrels per day, the lowest rate pursuant to Iraq's budget law.
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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
US Congress members call to sanction Iranian-backed militias in Iraq
US congress members called to sanction several Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, including the Popular Mobilization Forces, in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The US should sanction Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, including the powerful Popular Mobilization Forces, US Members of Congress Joe Wilson and Greg Steube asserted in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The PMF include numerous militias arranged in dozens of brigades. Most of the militias are linked closely to Iran and have carried out numerous crimes in Iraq. According to the letter the PMF are 'an umbrella group of 238,000 Iranian-backed militias, have been legitimized as part of Iraq's state security services and receive over $3 billion annually from the Iraqi government—funded in part by American taxpayer dollars. Since 2015, the US Department of State has provided Iraq with $1.25 billion in Foreign Military Financing, in addition to billions more in aid to Iraq's Interior Ministry and Defense Ministry, despite these institutions being deeply infiltrated by Iranian proxies. These same Iran-backed militias, now operating with legal authority under the PMF, have launched rocket attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria.' Wilson and Steube began their letter by noting, 'We write to express our deep concern over the complete subjugation of Iraq to the Iranian regime. More than 4,400 American service members sacrificed their lives since the start of the Iraq War, yet today, Iraq stands as nothing more than a puppet of Tehran. This outcome is the direct result of disastrous policies that, under previous administrations, empowered Iran's control over Iraq's government, military, and economy.' They added 'The National Security Policy Memorandum-2 (NSPM-2) of February 4, 2025 clearly articulates the reimposition of maximum pressure on Iran and its terror proxies. However, any campaign against the Iranian regime will require an equally robust campaign against Iraqi institutions, which have become essential clients of the Iranian regime.' The report argues that the US should expand sanctions on the various militias. The US has already sanctioned Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and some other militias and their leaders. The members of Congress say that the US should sanction the PMF as well as 'the Muhandis General Company, and the Badr Organization as foreign terrorist organizations.' They also call for sanctions on Iraq's importation of Iranian gas. They also said a bank in Iraq and a number of individuals who support Iran should be sanctioned. These include 'former Prime Ministers Nouri al-Maliki and Adel Abdulmehdi, Izzat Shabander, Hadi al-Ameri, AbdulKarim al-Sudani, Abbas Shia al-Sudani, Haider Shia al-Sudani, Abdul Karim al-Faisal, Yasser Suhail al Maliki, Minister of Higher Education Naem al-Aboud, Governor Adnan Feihan,' and others. This is an important development and illustrates how the US is moving to potentially clip the wings of Iran's role in Iraq. For instance, Kataib Hezbollah, which is part of the PMF, continues to hold Elizabeth Tsurkov, a researcher who is also an Israeli citizen. Tsurkov was kidnapped in 2023 in Iraq while doing research. She is a doctoral student at Princeton. Her kidnapping was orchestrated by the Iranian-backed militias. Reports from Iraq indicate that Baghdad is seeking to harm the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq by not paying salaries. This illustrates how Baghdad is destabilizing Iraq through its policies.
25-05-2025
First class graduates from American University of Baghdad, once Saddam's palace
BAGHDAD -- The American University of Baghdad celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of students Saturday at a campus that was once a palace built by Saddam Hussein. Officials said they hope the graduation will mark the beginning of a new era in higher education in Iraq rooted in modernity, openness and international academic standards. The university was inaugurated in 2021 on the site of the al-Faw Palace, built on an island in the middle of an artificial lake by Saddam in the 1990s to mark the retaking of the peninsula of the same name during the war. After the U.S.-led invasion that unseated Saddam in 2003, it was used as a U.S. coalition military headquarters called Camp Victory. It was later developed into an American-style university with a core liberal arts program through funding by influential Iraqi business owner Saadi Saihood. A total of 38 students — 20 male and 18 female — graduated Saturday with degrees in business administration, sciences and humanities at a ceremony attended by political dignitaries as well as families and faculty members. Speaking to the attendees, university President Dr. Michael Mulnix reflected on the university's rocky beginnings. 'When I first arrived at the American University of Baghdad in 2018, the campus looked nothing like it does today," he said. "Years of war and neglect had left the infrastructure in ruins, with many buildings damaged or destroyed. Today, we stand before an exceptional, nonprofit academic institution that ranks among the finest research universities.' Today AUB has a growing network of international partnerships with top universities, he said, including Vanderbilt University, Colorado School of Mines, Lawrence Technological University, Temple University, the University of Exeter, and Sapienza University of Rome. University founder and owner Saihood called the graduation 'a symbolic moment that affirms this institution was built to last and to make a real difference.' He acknowledged the economic challenges facing graduates, especially the scarcity of government employment, but emphasized that the university has equipped its students with the adaptability and initiative needed to thrive in the private sector or through entrepreneurship. Although Iraq's security situation has improved in recent years after decades of conflict, the country still suffers from brain drain as young people seek opportunities and stability abroad. 'The future in Iraq is not easy. All of us graduates have concerns," said Mohammed Baqir from Najaf province, who graduated Saturday with a bachelor's degree in business. "But what sets us apart from other universities is that we've already received job offers through AUB, especially in the private sector. Although my education cost around ten million Iraqi dinars, it was a truly valuable investment.' Ten million Iraqi dinars equals about $7,600.
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
First class graduates from American University of Baghdad, once Saddam's palace
BAGHDAD (AP) — The American University of Baghdad celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of students Saturday at a campus that was once a palace built by Saddam Hussein. Officials said they hope the graduation will mark the beginning of a new era in higher education in Iraq rooted in modernity, openness and international academic standards. The university was inaugurated in 2021 on the site of the al-Faw Palace, built on an island in the middle of an artificial lake by Saddam in the 1990s to mark the retaking of the peninsula of the same name during the war. After the U.S.-led invasion that unseated Saddam in 2003, it was used as a U.S. coalition military headquarters called Camp Victory. It was later developed into an American-style university with a core liberal arts program through funding by influential Iraqi business owner Saadi Saihood. A total of 38 students — 20 male and 18 female — graduated Saturday with degrees in business administration, sciences and humanities at a ceremony attended by political dignitaries as well as families and faculty members. Speaking to the attendees, university President Dr. Michael Mulnix reflected on the university's rocky beginnings. 'When I first arrived at the American University of Baghdad in 2018, the campus looked nothing like it does today," he said. "Years of war and neglect had left the infrastructure in ruins, with many buildings damaged or destroyed. Today, we stand before an exceptional, nonprofit academic institution that ranks among the finest research universities.' Today AUB has a growing network of international partnerships with top universities, he said, including Vanderbilt University, Colorado School of Mines, Lawrence Technological University, Temple University, the University of Exeter, and Sapienza University of Rome. University founder and owner Saihood called the graduation 'a symbolic moment that affirms this institution was built to last and to make a real difference.' He acknowledged the economic challenges facing graduates, especially the scarcity of government employment, but emphasized that the university has equipped its students with the adaptability and initiative needed to thrive in the private sector or through entrepreneurship. Although Iraq's security situation has improved in recent years after decades of conflict, the country still suffers from brain drain as young people seek opportunities and stability abroad. 'The future in Iraq is not easy. All of us graduates have concerns," said Mohammed Baqir from Najaf province, who graduated Saturday with a bachelor's degree in business. "But what sets us apart from other universities is that we've already received job offers through AUB, especially in the private sector. Although my education cost around ten million Iraqi dinars, it was a truly valuable investment.' Ten million Iraqi dinars equals about $7,600.
