US and Iraqi officials: Washington seeks to ensure the Baghdad-Erbil oil agreement is long-term.
US and Iraqi officials: Washington seeks to ensure the Baghdad-Erbil oil agreement is long-term.
2025-10-03 02:23
Shafaq News – Erbil
US and Iraqi officials revealed that Washington seeks to ensure that the recent oil agreement between Baghdad and Erbil, which resulted in the resumption of Kurdistan Region crude oil exports, is long-term, according to a report published by the Asharq Al-Awsat website on Friday.
The website stated in a report published today that “the administration of US President Donald Trump is working to ensure the continued flow of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which resumed after a two-year hiatus, for the long term. This is to bolster the country’s economy, generate gains for American companies, and counter Iranian influence in the region.”
Asharq Al-Awsat quoted a senior US State Department official as saying, “The United States is focused on ensuring the implementation of the oil export agreement and fulfilling its financial obligations.”
The official added that Washington has been working over the past weeks to bring together international oil companies with the Iraqi and Kurdish governments, an effort that included hundreds of phone calls and meetings that paved the way for reaching the agreement.
The United States’ role in resuming shipments through the pipeline to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast also enhances the agreement’s long-term sustainability, according to the website.
The current agreement is only valid until the end of the year, during which the parties are scheduled to hold talks on the companies’ dues, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, while Türkiye is pushing for new terms for the transportation of crude.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated last week in a post on the X platform that the agreement “will deliver tangible benefits to both Americans and Iraqis, while reaffirming Iraq’s sovereignty.”
Iraqi and Kurdish officials said that US pressure was a decisive factor in reaching the export agreement, and Washington is now seeking to transform it into a long-term agreement that also protects the interests of American companies, according to the Asharq website.
shafaq.com
