$250M monthly oil trade: Kurdistan pushes for federal revenue deal
Kurdistan's domestic trade in oil products is valued at approximately $250M per month, a senior Kurdish official said on Sunday, urging Baghdad to finalize a revenue-sharing mechanism to resolve longstanding salary disputes.
Ali Hama Saleh, rapporteur of the National Stance Movement in Kurdistan, proposed that the federal government pay $16 per barrel to companies operating in the Region.
"Federal authorities have expressed readiness to provide Kurdistan with refined fuels, including gasoline, under the same conditions as other provinces," he claimed, describing the move a 'golden opportunity' to guarantee public-sector salary payments.
In response, the Kurdistan Regional Government is pushing to retain 100,000 barrels per day to meet local demand and integrate more closely into Iraq's national fuel supply chain.
Last week, the KRG renewed calls for Baghdad to release public salaries, accusing the federal government of maintaining a 'policy of deprivation' despite regional compliance with national directives.
Baghdad and Erbil have long been at odds over oil revenue management. While the Kurdistan Region previously exported crude independently, recent legal and financial pressures have pushed it to coordinate more closely with the federal government, particularly through Iraq's state-run oil marketing company, SOMO.
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