PM Barzani says Baghdad added new condition to finance agreement
Iraqi top court rejects lawsuits against major US-KRG energy deals
Iraq arrests 11 local officials over deadly mall fire
Iraqi top court to hear complaints against KRG-US energy deals
Iraq parliament to probe drone attacks on Kurdistan Region
A+ A-
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday said the federal government added a new condition to a newly signed financial and oil agreement, further delaying salary payments to the Region's public servants, now overdue by nearly three months.
'After we agreed to the agreement and negotiated on the proposals… they added another point,' Barzani said during a speech in Erbil. He added that Baghdad now requires the Region to deliver 230,000 barrels of oil per day before releasing salary payments.
Barzani's remarks come just days after Iraq's Council of Ministers approved a new deal to resume salary payments and restart Kurdish oil exports. Under the agreement, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) must export its entire oil output through Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), keeping 50,000 barrels daily for local use. In return, Baghdad is expected to make budget transfers and provide refined fuel if needed. The KRG is also obligated to hand over 120 billion Iraqi dinars (nearly $92 million) in non-oil revenues monthly for May.
'Until the 230,000 barrels are received, salaries will not be paid,' Barzani said, criticizing the move as unfair given repeated drone attacks that have disrupted oil production. 'On the other hand, those terrorists come and blow up our fields and don't allow oil production, so how can this work?'
Since the deal was announced, drone attacks on the Kurdistan Region appear to have ceased. At least 18 strikes were recorded in July, most targeting oil fields operated by international companies. On Wednesday, two more strikes hit oil installations in Duhok province, prompting DNO to suspend operations at Tawke and Gulf Keystone to halt work at Shekhan as a precaution, according to the Erbil-based Counter Terrorism Directorate (CTD).
Narmin Maarouf, a Kurdish member of Iraqi parliament's finance committee, told Rudaw on Sunday that Baghdad remains firm in its decision not to transfer funds to Erbil for May salaries until the agreed-upon amount of oil and non-oil revenues is delivered.
The KRG blames the attacks on Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an accusation Baghdad rejects. Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to Barzani, said Wednesday that drone attacks by 'criminal militias on the Iraqi government payroll' have cost the Region nearly 200,000 barrels in lost production. He said on Saturday that some of the attacks were launched from Kirkuk province.
Barzani also accused the federal government of obstructing regional development by imposing sweeping control over both oil and non-oil revenue.
'They say you shouldn't have any kind of income at all, nothing at all, whatever you have, hand it over to us, so that these kinds of projects cannot be implemented by us,' Barzani said during the inauguration of a major freshwater supply project in Erbil, set to serve 33 neighborhoods for the next three decades.
The remarks come as the KRG expands its Runaki initiative, which aims to deliver 24-hour electricity across the Region by 2026. Over two million people are already connected.
Meanwhile, Iraq is grappling with its worst water crisis in 80 years, driven by drought and upstream dams in Turkey and Iran that have depleted the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
In a related development, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court on Sunday dismissed two lawsuits filed by lawmakers seeking to annul multi-billion-dollar gas deals signed in May between the KRG and US companies HKN Energy and WesternZagros - a cornerstone of the Region's energy and electricity plans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rudaw Net
2 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Rubio tells Sudani important to pay KRG salaries 'consistently'
Also in World Brawl breaks out between pro-Damascus, Kurdish rallies in Germany's Dusseldorf US encourages Iraq to end tensions with Kurdistan Region US orders return of Baghdad embassy, Erbil consulate staff US says attacks on Kurdistan Region 'unacceptable' A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, emphasizing the importance of ensuring uninterrupted salary payments to civil servants in the Kurdistan Region. Rubio also conveyed Washington's concerns regarding a pending bill in the Iraqi parliament that seeks to further institutionalize pro-Iranian militia groups, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday. The phone call came just hours after the Iraqi government decided to resume the payment of the salaries of public employees in the Kurdistan Region after nearly three months of suspension due to financial disputes with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 'The Secretary noted the importance of paying Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) salaries consistently,' read a statement from State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Sudani's office has yet to comment on the phone call. Tensions between Baghdad and Erbil escalated in late May when the federal finance ministry suspended transfers, accusing the KRG of exceeding its 12.67 percent share of the federal budget and failing to deliver the agreed oil volumes to Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO). The freeze affected more than 1.2 million public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region. Last week, the federal and regional governments reached a new deal over financial and oil disputes following the failure of several similar deals in the past. The Iraqi government approved the agreement during a cabinet meeting and decided to resume the disbursement of the salaries of KRG's civil servants on Tuesday. The payment will only cover the month of May, and the disbursement of salaries for the remaining months will depend on how the agreement is implemented moving forward. The Erbil-Baghdad agreement also includes the resumption of KRG's oil exports. The process has been halted since March 2023 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated the 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin exporting oil independently in 2014. Under the agreement, the KRG must export its entire oil output through Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), keeping 50,000 barrels daily for local use. In return, Baghdad is expected to make budget transfers and provide refined fuel if needed. The KRG is also obligated to hand over 120 billion Iraqi dinars (nearly $92 million) in non-oil revenues monthly for May. Washington has been pressuring Erbil and Baghdad to resume the Kurdish oil exports. Rubio told Sudani during the phone call that it is also important to resume the flow of the Kurdish oil to international markets through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline, Bruce said in the statement. Kurdistan Region has come under nearly 20 drone attacks, including strikes on its oil fields, in recent weeks. The KRG has blamed Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) for the drone attacks, a charge Baghdad has denied. The drones were seen by many as a pressure tactic by pro-Iran groups on the Kurdish government to make compromises to the federal government during negotiations over the resumption of the KRG's oil exports. The attacks have stopped since both governments finalized the agreement on Thursday. The Rubio-Sudani phone call focused on the drone attacks. Some of the targeted sites are operated by US companies. Rubio 'stressed the importance of the Iraqi government holding the perpetrators accountable and preventing future attacks,' Bruce noted in her statement. The attacks have been condemned internationally and locally, including by the US, UK and UN. The Iraqi government has launched an investigation into the strikes but has yet to announce the results. The federal parliament failed to discuss the matter on Monday after Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the session for unknown reasons. Rudaw has learned that some Kurdish parliamentarians feared that the Shiite factions could exploit the session to add a pending bill seeking more rights for the PMF members. The PMF was established in 2014 during the Islamic State group (ISIS) blitz, which saw the group seize control of large parts of Iraq's north and west. Although the PMF has been integrated into the security apparatus, the inclusion of some pro-Iran groups and their failure to answer to Sudani as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces has concerned Washington. The Iraqi government in February sent a bill to the parliament to further institutionalise the PMF, including retirement rights. 'The Secretary also reiterated serious U.S. concerns with the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) bill currently pending in the Council of Representatives (COR), emphasizing that any such legislation would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty,' Bruce said. Rubio later said on X that he told Sudani that he desires to see an Iraq 'free of Iran's pernicious influence." Spoke with Iraqi PM Sudani about the recent attacks against oil companies in Iraq, including U.S. companies. We support a prosperous Iraq, free of Iran's pernicious influence. — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 23, 2025 Iran is believed to have many proxy groups in Iraq, which it has used in the past to target US interests in the region. Washington has taken several measures to ensure that Baghdad is free of Tehran's influence, including the termination of a waiver which had allowed Iraq to buy Iranian electricity for years.
Rudaw Net
2 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Brawl breaks out between pro-Damascus, Kurdish rallies in Germany's Dusseldorf
Also in World Rubio tells Sudani important to pay KRG salaries 'consistently' US encourages Iraq to end tensions with Kurdistan Region US orders return of Baghdad embassy, Erbil consulate staff US says attacks on Kurdistan Region 'unacceptable' A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Five police officers were injured Sunday in a brawl between pro-Syrian and pro-Kurdish demonstrators outside the central station in Germany's western city of Dusseldorf, according to local police. 'A brawl involving several hundred participants triggered a large-scale police operation yesterday afternoon. Former participants of two different assemblies (pro-Syrian and pro-Kurdish) had clashed on the forecourt of the main train station,' Dusseldorf police said in a statement on Monday. During efforts to contain the violence, bottles and stones were thrown at officers, leaving five lightly injured. Police said they made several arrests and filed around 20 criminal charges for offenses including breach of the peace, dangerous bodily harm, and property damage. Participants from both demonstrations had crossed paths at Konrad-Adenauer-Platz in the city center Sunday afternoon. After an exchange of insults, violence broke out, the statement added. Police are aware of at least one injured civilian. According to the regional daily Rheinische Post, roughly 500 people had joined the pro-Kurdish demonstration, while about 200 took part in the pro-Syrian interim government rally. The Kurdish march was attacked by at least 50 people. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, and police told the newspaper it is not yet confirmed whether the attackers were directly linked to the earlier Syrian demonstration, though 'a connection is possible.' According to Rudaw's reporter on the ground, the Kurdish rally was organized by Kurds from northeast Syria (Rojava) and southeast Turkey, though most participants were from Rojava. The demonstrators expressed solidarity with Syria's minorities, including Alawites, Christians, and the Druze, and called for an end to hate speech targeting Kurds in Syria and the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto army in Rojava. Investigations are ongoing. The new authorities in Syria - who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December - have come under repeated criticism by minorities for neglecting their rights and steering the country towards Islamic rule. Recent sectarian clashes in the southern Druze-majority Suwayda province have left over 1,000 dead and displaced over 128,000. The fighting started last Sunday between Druze militants and the Sunni Muslim fighters. Damascus has been accused of siding with the Sunni tribes. Three ceasefires between the Druze community and the new government in Damascus have collapsed, and although the latest one - brokered by Washington - appears to be holding, it remains fragile.
Rudaw Net
2 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
US says attacks on Kurdistan Region ‘unacceptable'
Also in World Rubio tells Sudani important to pay KRG salaries 'consistently' Brawl breaks out between pro-Damascus, Kurdish rallies in Germany's Dusseldorf US encourages Iraq to end tensions with Kurdistan Region US orders return of Baghdad embassy, Erbil consulate staff WASHINGTON DC - The United States warned on Wednesday that attacks on Kurdistan Region are 'unacceptable' amid increasing drone assaults on the Region's oil fields, including those operated by American companies. 'These kinds of attacks in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are unacceptable. We've expressed our dismay and our problem with them,' US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw during a press briefing. Several oil fields in the Kurdistan Region have been struck with explosive-laden drones in the last three days. At least four drone attacks were reported in Duhok province on Wednesday. Kurdistan Region's natural resources ministry said the recent attacks on Kurdistan Region's oil sector has caused a "significant material loss." It condemned the attacks and reiterated its call on the federal government to take action to stop these attacks. Aziz Ahmad, Deputy Chief of Staff to Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, said on X late Wednesday that the Region has lost nearly 200,000 barrels of oil production 'after a spate of drone attacks by criminal militias on the Iraqi government payroll.' He added that five oil fields, including two operated by US companies, have been struck so far. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) 'welcomed U.S. investment and companies. Now, those same investors are being pushed out in a calculated campaign to economically strangle us,' Ahmad noted, blaming Washington for denying the KRG the necessary tools to defend its energy and civilian infrastructure. 'We need them now to help us defend ourselves — we know exactly who's behind these attacks and where they're coming from.' Drone strikes in the Kurdistan Region have increased since the outbreak of a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that began on June 13 and ended with a US-brokered ceasefire. While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, the Region's interior ministry in early July accused the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) of involvement - a charge dismissed by Baghdad as 'unacceptable.' Erbil-Baghdad financial dispute The Iraqi government has not paid the KRG's share from the federal budget since May due to financial disputes between both governments. Despite ongoing talks between both sides, they have yet to reach a final agreement. The KRG's Council of Ministers on Wednesday convened and announced that it has reached a new "understanding" with Baghdad aimed at resolving the ongoing budget dispute that has left more than 1.2 million public employees in the Kurdistan Region without salaries for over two months. 'We have been vocal regarding actions that have happened with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, we've made it clear that we expect Iraq to withdraw certain dynamics that they apply to the Kurds when it comes to issues of salaries and oil distribution, etcetera,' Bruce told Rudaw during the Wednesday press briefing.
