BAGHDAD (Xinhua) – The Iraqi Oil Ministry rejected recent energy contracts signed between Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and U.S. companies, calling them a clear violation of Iraqi law.
In a statement, the ministry said the deals, worth tens of billions of U.S. dollars, violated rulings issued by the Federal Supreme Court.
“The ministry affirms the invalidity of these contracts based on the Iraqi Constitution and the decisions of the Federal Court,” it read.
Despite the country’s need to expand gas investments and meet local demand for electricity, the ministry emphasized that oil and gas resources are the property of all Iraqis that must be managed by the federal government.
Masrour Barzani, prime minister of KRG, said Tuesday on social media platform X that “a new phase of Kurdistan-U.S. ties begins” as the KRG signs “two multi-billion dollar deals with HKN Energy and WesternZagros Resources.”
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between Baghdad and the country’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region over control of the energy sector.