Iraq, U.S. Discuss Kurdish Protracted Oil Standoff

2025-08-19 08:27:49

(MENAFN) Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Steven Fagin in Baghdad late Sunday to address the protracted oil standoff in the northern Kurdish region, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

The ministry reported that the high-level talks centered on bilateral relations, with a sharp focus on the involvement of American oil companies operating across Iraq. Discussions included the challenges facing energy firms working in the semi-autonomous Kurdish area and potential measures to resume suspended crude exports.

Regional developments were another key topic during the meeting, with Fagin presenting the U.S. perspective on recent events unfolding across the Middle East, according to the ministry’s statement.

Crude shipments from Iraq’s Kurdish region have remained halted since March 25, 2023, a stoppage that has reportedly cost the Erbil-based administration approximately $25 billion in lost revenue, according to data published in June.

Last month, Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government announced they had reached a preliminary deal aimed at resolving the long-running revenue-sharing conflict — a critical step toward reviving the oil flow.

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