YESTERDAY THEY TOLD US IT WOULD BE DELIVERED BETWEEN 12 AND 12, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT, IT WAS DELIVERED, SO YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE WERE PAID YESTERDAY, THE BANKS WERE PUTTING IT IN TO MAKE SURE IT WAS WOULD DELIVERY, WORKS AT 1:43 PM
THIS MORNING, AS WE TALK, THERE ARE PEOPLE GETTING PAID, AS I TOLD YOU, CERTAIN PEOPLE HAVE PRIVILEGES THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE YET, SOME OF YOU WILL BE ELEVATED HERE ON MONDAY, TODAY, WE ARE NOT ONE OF THOSE RIGHT NOW AT THE 1:44 PM
SO AS WE TALK, THEY ARE PAYING PEOPLE, IT IS SAID THAT YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE UP, LET ME SEE, STARTING TONIGHT, AFTER 5 PM. AND EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE STARTED ON SATURDAY AND UNTIL MONDAY. THEY HAVE STARTED PAYING.
I AM ALREADY RECEIVING IT. AUGUST 16. WE TRIED IT YESTERDAY. THE GUYS AT THE FRONT OF THE ROW HAVE ENTERED AGAIN. BUT WE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF HOURS BEHIND. YESTERDAY. THEY WERE WAITING TO RECEIVE YOUR EMAILS. FROM THE TREASURY TO BEGIN AT 1:46 PM.
AND WE WERE WAITING TO RECEIVE OUR EMAIL TO START. WE'LL SEE HOW IT GOES. THERE'S NOT MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. BUT IT'S OVER. THEY TOLD US IT'S WORKING AND IT'S OVER. A COUPLE OF HOURS BEFORE WE DO IT. WE SHOULD HAVE THE 800 NUMBERS TONIGHT AT 1:47 PM.
ACTUALLY, SATURDAY MORNING. THEY SAID WE WILL HAVE 800 NUMBERS TONIGHT AT 1:47 PM
THE SYSTEM IS LIVE - IT WAS TESTED YESTERDAY - AND IT IS WORKING - DURING THE TEST THEY PAID PEOPLE AND THEY ARE CURRENTLY PAYING SOME NOW - WE SHOULD HAVE 800 NUMBERS TONIGHT - AFTER 5 PM - 1:51 PM
IF IT'S NOT TONIGHT, IT WILL START TOMORROW MONDAY - I RECEIVE THIS RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE CALL STARTS - I WAIT TO SEE IF THE BANK WANTS ME TO TELL THEM ANYTHING BEFORE I START -
TRANSLATION IN SPANISH
Wolverine;
AYER NOS DIJERON QUE SE ENTREGARÍA ENTRE LAS 12 Y LAS 12, SE SUPONÍA QUE ERA A LA MEDIANOCHE DE ANOCHE, SE ENTREGÓ, ASÍ QUE, YA SABEN, A ALGUNAS PERSONAS SE LES PAGÓ AYER, LOS BANCOS LO ESTABAN PONIENDO PARA ASEGURARSE DE QUE SE ENTREGARÍA, FUNCIONA A LA 1:43 PM
ESTA MAÑANA, MIENTRAS HABLAMOS, HAY PERSONAS QUE RECIBEN SU PAGO, COMO LES DIJE, CIERTAS PERSONAS TIENEN PRIVILEGIOS QUE USTEDES TODAVÍA NO TIENEN, ALGUNOS DE USTEDES SERÁN ELEVADOS HASTA AQUÍ EL LUNES, HOY, NOSOTROS NO SOMOS UNO DE ESOS EN ESTE MOMENTO A LA 1:44 PM
ASÍ QUE MIENTRAS HABLAMOS, ESTÁN PAGANDO A LAS PERSONAS, SE DICE QUE USTEDES SE VAN A DAR, DÉJENME VER, A PARTIR DE ESTA NOCHE, DESPUÉS DE LAS 5 PM. Y TODOS DEBEN HABER COMENZADO EL SÁBADO Y HASTA EL LUNES. HAN COMENZADO A PAGAR. YA LO ESTOY RECIBIENDO. 16 DE AGOSTO. AYER LO PROBAMOS. LOS CHICOS AL FRENTE DE LA FILA HAN ENTRADO OTRA VEZ. PERO ESTAMOS SOLO UN PAR DE HORAS DE ATRÁS. AYER. ESTABAN ESPERANDO RECIBIR SUS CORREOS ELECTRÓNICOS. DE LA TESORERÍA PARA COMENZAR A LA 1:46 PM.
Y NOSOTROS ESTÁBAMOS ESPERANDO RECIBIR NUESTRO CORREO ELECTRÓNICO PARA COMENZAR. VEREMOS CÓMO VA. NO HAY MUCHO DE QUÉ HABLAR. PERO SE ACABÓ. NOS DIJERON QUE ESTÁ FUNCIONANDO Y SE ACABÓ. UN PAR DE HORAS ANTES DE QUE LO HAGAMOS. DEBERÍAMOS TENER LOS NÚMEROS 800 ESTA NOCHE A LA 1:47 PM.
EN REALIDAD, EL SÁBADO POR LA MAÑANA. DIJERON QUE TENDREMOS NÚMEROS 800 ESTA NOCHE A LA 1:47 PM
EL SISTEMA ESTÁ EN VIVO - SE PROBÓ AYER - Y ESTÁ FUNCIONANDO - DURANTE LA PRUEBA PAGARON A PERSONAS Y ACTUALMENTE ESTÁN PAGANDO A ALGUNOS AHORA - DEBERÍAMOS TENER NÚMEROS 800 ESTA NOCHE - DESPUÉS DE LAS 5 PM - 1:51 PM
SI NO ES ESTA NOCHE, COMENZARÁ MAÑANA POR LA LUNES - RECIBO ESTO AHORA MISMO ANTES DE QUE COMIENCE LA LLAMADA - ESPERO A VER SI EL BANCO QUIERE QUE LES DIGA ALGO ANTES DE COMENZAR -
Iraq will share profits with BP to develop huge oil and gas fields, two Iraqi oil ministry officials said on Tuesday, as the country seeks to move away from “low-margin service contracts” to boost production growth and lure back major Western energy companies .
In recent years, a number of major oil companies, including BP, have turned to other countries offering better terms. They complain that Iraq’s “conventional oil service contracts,” under which they pay a fixed amount for each barrel of oil produced after recovering costs, prevent them from benefiting from higher oil prices .
Iraq and BP, which returned after an absence of about five years, signed a preliminary agreement earlier this month to develop four oil and gas fields in the Kirkuk region of northern Iraq, an area from which BP estimates that about 9 billion barrels of oil can be extracted .
The two officials said, according to what Reuters reported, that the contracts with BP to develop the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields will be based on a profit-sharing model .
The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, added that the oil ministry and BP are expected to sign an agreement, the terms of which will not be disclosed, this week, under which Iraq will hand over a data package for the four Kirkuk fields and their facilities .
They added that the final agreement is expected to be completed by the end of this year. While BP said it expects to complete negotiations on the preliminary agreement by the end of 2025 .
In 2013, BP and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil signed a “Letter of Intent” to study the development of Kirkuk. However, this deal was suspended in 2014 due to political circumstances, allowing the Kurdistan Regional Government to take control of the Kirkuk area. Baghdad regained full control of the field from the Kurdistan Regional Government in 2017 after it refused to recognize the result of the Kurdistan Region’s referendum, at which point BP resumed its studies on the field .BP withdrew from the area in late 2019 after the service contract signed in 2013 expired without reaching an agreement to expand the field .
Iraq, the second largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after Saudi Arabia, the de facto ruler of the organization, has the capacity to produce about 5 million barrels per day .
The Kirkuk field was discovered in 1927 and represents the cradle of the oil industry in Iraq. Officials said that its fields currently produce about 245 thousand barrels per day .
BP said earlier this month that rehabilitating existing facilities and building new ones where needed, along with other measures, would stabilise production and return it to previous levels in Kirkuk.
FRANK26: 'TO EXCLUDE IRAN'.......... THAT WAS THE GOAL OF THE MONETARY REFORM!!!".......F26
To exclude Iran... (THIS WAS THE GOAL OF THE MONETARY REFORM- F26) an American bet on the open energy doors in Iraq
8/21/2024
The American magazine "Forbes" highlighted the open doors for American companies in the Iraqi energy sector, considering that the United States government, in order to neutralize Iran, is working with these companies to accelerate efforts in the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whom it described as "pro-business", in order to achieve Iraq's independence from Iran in the field of energy by 2030.
The magazine indicated in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency that the American companies "KBR, Transatlantic Petroleum, Honeywell/UOP, Baker Hughes, Emerson, Arc Energy, and GE" are working with the Baghdad-based company "RASEP" in the field of infrastructure and energy development, in order to develop what could be one of the largest oil and gas fields in the world, specifically in the Bin Omar River in southern Iraq.
The report noted that the project includes an accompanying facility for exporting liquefied natural gas near Basra, which could become operational within the current decade, while the French-based company "Technip Energies" will develop the plan and feasibility study for the liquefied natural gas station, adding that other aspects of the project include collecting, compressing and processing the gas centrally and extending more than 400 kilometers of pipelines.
The report quoted RASEP Business Development Manager Ahmed Imad Al-Mohsen as saying that LPG and condensate exports alone could generate $100 million for the Iraqi treasury annually.
After the report pointed out that the Iraqi government had agreed to establish the first LNG import terminal in the southern port of Faw, which could be converted into an export terminal, Al-Mohsen was quoted as saying that Iraq is a welcoming market for American energy and technology companies.
According to Al-Mohsen, American investments contribute to stabilizing the Iraqi economy, creating thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities, strengthening Iraqi finances, reconstruction, and addressing emission reduction goals, adding that this helps “strengthen American government initiatives toward climate change.”
The report quoted Jay Ibrahim, head of sustainable technology solutions at KBR, as stressing the importance of the timing of this.
The report pointed out that KBR has been operating in Iraq since the 1970s, and has recently employed more than 500 people, including 150 Iraqis, to work on developing the energy and electricity sector.
The report also stated that during the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to Washington last April, KBR signed a $12 million contract to handle the engineering side of the Bin Omar project, after which it will take over project management, engineering, procurement and construction.
According to Ibrahim, the Iraqi ministers are working in a way that shows the government is working with the private sector in a new way, which is “exciting and new and they have not done it before.”
The US report said the ultimate goal is to produce natural gas, build electrical infrastructure, provide surplus energy to allies and stop relying on Iran for energy.
The report quoted Al-Mohsen as saying that Iraq spends "about $5 billion annually on importing Iranian gas."
According to former US Undersecretary of Defense Robert Wilkie, Iran had only $5 billion in reserves in 2021 when President Donald Trump left office, adding that Iran is currently exporting one million barrels of oil per day, explaining that the Iranians "have returned to the levels of the Shah, which were in the 1970s."
The report added that Iran currently exports oil to 17 countries, including China, Oman and Bangladesh, noting that it consumes most of its natural gas production, except for what it exports to Iraq.
He added that Iran has the largest gas reserves in the world after Russia, and shares gas fields in the Gulf with Qatar, and it exported 18.04 billion cubic meters of gas via pipelines in 2022.
The report quoted the American Washington Institute as saying that Iran's oil exports increased by more than three times during the Joe Biden administration "due to the easing of US sanctions and the increase in Chinese demand for crude oil subject to large discounts."
After the report noted that the Trump administration had managed to prevent Iran from producing at the levels it is currently at, Wilkie was quoted as saying, “Iran is back. Their coffers are filling up, and they are capable of causing trouble all over the planet, especially in their own region.”
While the report noted that given the ease of transporting Iranian energy to neighboring countries, it is relatively cheap, Wilkie was quoted as saying, “It has a price, and the cost is high.”
According to Wilkie, developing the energy sector in Iraq is part of a larger effort to ensure American national security and stability in the Middle East. “In terms of American national security, looking at Iran as just Iran is not the right way to look at it,” he explained. “You have to look at it as part of a triad that includes Moscow and Beijing, so weakening the Iranians weakens the Chinese and weakens the Russians.”
Wilkie explained that weakening these governments requires more than making Iraq energy independent, which includes making the United States more energy-intensive so that countries do not have to rely on Russian gas or Iranian oil, noting that under Trump the United States has been able to secure cheap gas and oil for “our friends” while imposing sanctions and banning Iranian oil sales in the main.
"In theory, anything that allows the countries on the periphery of Iraq to be stronger is a counterweight to Iranian pressure, and the Iranians will have nothing to offer a country that has enough energy," Wilkie was quoted as saying in the report.
Wilkie spoke of the Trump administration's "strategic calculations" of how to establish a special "ring of deterrence" around Iran, and that the "Abraham Accords" were central to this strategy.
“We were working on the Saudis when Trump left office, which brought the Saudis closer to the anti-Iran ring that included Israel with U.S. support,” Wilkie was quoted as saying, adding that anything the Saudis could do to challenge Iranian influence “would make sense from a strategic military perspective.”
He pointed out that if Trump wins the upcoming elections, it "will be a renewed push to fully include the Saudis in this alliance."
While the report said that Iraq's oil production has increased according to the International Energy Agency, it noted that Iraq has struggled to capture and process gas, leaving its electricity system at risk.
The report quoted Al-Mohsen as saying, “The main pain point in the country is the lack of electricity, as during the summer, there is a deficit of about 12 hours per day of electricity supply.”
While Al Mohsen noted that flaring associated gas poses a huge risk to the environment and to government revenues, he said that one of the “top priorities on the prime minister’s agenda” is to reduce gas flaring.
The report added that RASEP has become the first Iraqi company to lead a gas development project in the country, noting that the government is currently working on building electricity transmission lines to connect them to the Kuwaiti, Jordanian and Turkish electricity networks.
After the report mentioned the results of Al-Sudani's visit to Washington and the joint statement that indicated the United States' support for Iraqi energy efforts, including completing the connection of the electricity grid with neighboring countries, including Jordan and other Gulf countries, and helping Iraq reopen the pipeline to Turkey.
Al-Mohsen was quoted as saying that "the US government supports such initiatives that enhance energy independence in Iraq, which will lead to the severing of all relations and all imports of natural gas and energy from Iran," noting that Washington "has long been pressing for the severing of relations with Iran."
According to Al-Mohsen, the money due from the Iraqi side to the Iranian side is in US dollars, and is a source of funding for the Iranian government.
He pointed out that American companies had so far focused on rebuilding the Iraqi government, and that most of those companies had dealt with the Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Electricity, but that the private sector in Iraq had not been fully strengthened.
The report quoted Al-Mohsen as saying, "We have open doors to invest in energy projects, and we are the first Iraqi company to undertake a gas development project. In the past, this was allocated to the government side, and covered by the government," noting that international companies will participate in the upcoming licensing rounds to develop oil and gas fields.
Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq's Upcoming Visit to New York
The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), Ali Al-Alaq, is set for an important visit to New York in August 2024 [3]. This visit is expected to have significant implications for the stability and protection of Iraq's banking system, as confirmed by Mudher Muhammed Salih, the PM's Advisor for Financial Affairs [3].
Purpose of the Visit
The CBI is a crucial institution in Iraq, tasked with supporting the value and stability of the national currency, the dinar, and ensuring the regularity of payments and international reserves that support Iraq's foreign trade [3]. Given the strategic role of the CBI and its reserves in the country's economy, the upcoming visit by Al-Alaq aims to protect the Iraqi banking system and reinforce its stability [3].
Negotiations on Sanctioned Banks
A key agenda item for Al-Alaq's visit involves negotiations with US authorities regarding the files of sanctioned Iraqi banks [3]. The Advisor to the Prime Minister for Financial Affairs emphasized the need for negotiation due to the possibility of errors or overreach in decisions to sanction these banks [3]. These discussions are crucial to mitigate any adverse effects that may have arisen from such sanctions [3].
Strengthening Financial Relationships
The visit also provides an opportunity to strengthen financial relationships and discuss matters related to Iraqi banks restricted from dealing in US dollars [6]. This comes in light of the recent directive from the US Federal Reserve to halt Baghdad's dealings in Chinese yuan due to concerns over potential manipulation and transaction irregularities [6].
Importance of the CBI and Its Role
Historically, the CBI has played a pivotal role in Iraq's monetary system since its establishment in 1947 [4]. The bank's objectives include maintaining domestic price stability and fostering a stable and competitive market-based financial system [4].
Current Challenges
Iraq's banking system has faced challenges, including corruption and mismanagement, despite recent reforms aimed at addressing these issues [5].
Conclusion
The Governor's visit to New York in August 2024 [3] is anticipated to contribute to the protection and stability of Iraq's banking sector, paving the way for constructive negotiations and discussions that could mitigate the impact of sanctions and strengthen financial ties [3].
