Sunday, March 16, 2025
Turkish Energy Minister Arrives in Baghdad for Oil and Gas Talks , 17 MARCH
Turkish Energy Minister Arrives in Baghdad for Oil and Gas Talks
3/16/2025
Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alp Arslan arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil.
The ministry said in a statement that Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil Hayan Abdul-Ghani Al-Sawad received Arslan and his accompanying delegation.
According to the statement, the meeting discussed bilateral relations between the two countries in the fields of oil, gas and energy.
The meeting was attended by the Undersecretary for Extraction Affairs and the General Managers of the Oil Marketing Company, the North Oil Company, the Economic Department, and the Legal Department, according to the statement.
Turkey halted flows on the pipeline, which transports oil from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, in March 2023 after an arbitration court ordered it to pay approximately $1.5 billion in compensation to Iraq for transporting oil without Baghdad's approval. Ankara refused to pay the fine at the time and demanded that Erbil pay it.
The pipeline closure halted Iraqi oil exports by approximately 500,000 barrels per day. The resumption of oil flows from Kurdistan may mitigate some of the impact on markets caused by reduced shipments from Iraq, the main source of crude.
Iraq had been exporting between 400,000 and 500,000 barrels per day from northern fields, including the Kurdistan Region, via the now-defunct pipeline. Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said earlier this month that Iraq plans to transport at least 300,000 barrels per day of crude oil once operations resume. He added that the Iraqi government has also begun a formal process to persuade the regional government to transfer the oil to the Federal Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).
Türkiye has repeatedly said that the pipeline is operational and that it is up to Iraq to resume flows, and the United States has also expressed a strong desire to see oil flow through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline.
Resuming pipeline shipments could pose a dilemma for Baghdad, which is committed to reducing crude production as part of the OPEC+ agreement but is struggling to comply with the promised cuts.
OPEC's production and exports are under increased scrutiny after US President Donald Trump called on the group in early 2025 to "bring down the price of oil." LINK
TIDBIT FROM CLARE, 17 MARCH
Clare
Article: "Iran issues new 200,000 toman banknote"
Quote: "Iran is witnessing an unprecedented surge in popular protests, with the economic situation worsening and the national currency collapsing to record lows.
The US dollar has reached 95,300 tomans, while the price of a gold bar has exceeded 79 million tomans.
This decline in the currency's value follows statements by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in which he reiterated his rejection of negotiations with the United States, leading to heightened uncertainty in the markets."
Why Was Iraq Not Included On Trump's New Sanctions List Despite Being Included In 2017?, 16 MARCH
Why Was Iraq Not Included On Trump's New Sanctions List Despite Being Included In 2017?
In 2017, during President Donald Trump's first term, Iraq was included in the list of countries subject to the travel ban to the United States. However, Iraq was later exempted from this ban due to enhanced security cooperation and information sharing between the two countries, as well as Iraqi efforts in combating ISIS.
In 2025, the Trump administration is preparing a new list of 43 countries that could face travel bans or restrictions to the United States. According to draft recommendations, these countries are divided into three categories:
Red List: 11 countries whose citizens are completely barred from entering the United States, including: Afghanistan, Sudan , Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iran, Somalia, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and Bhutan.
Orange List: 10 countries whose citizens will be subject to severe travel restrictions, but not a complete ban, including: Russia, Belarus, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan.
Yellow List: 22 countries will be given 60 days to correct deficiencies in their security measures and information sharing, otherwise they may be transferred to one of the two previous lists.
It is noteworthy that Iraq has not been included on either of these new lists. This is due to the continued close cooperation between Iraq and the United States in the areas of security and information sharing. Iraq has also improved its security screening and passport issuance procedures, bringing it into compliance with required US standards.
This ongoing cooperation and Iraq's commitment to strengthening its internal security and sharing security information with the United States contributed to its removal from the new ban list. https://www.radionawa.com/all-detail.aspx?jimare=41382
AJ UPDATE, 16 MARCH
AJ
If you have questions, I'll be happy to help.