Iraq is threatened with sanctions.. Kurdish oil smuggling exposes corruption.
Iraq is threatened with sanctions.. Kurdish oil smuggling exposes corruption.
8-5-2025
Information/Exclusive:
Economic analyst Faleh al-Zubaidi warned Tuesday of the catastrophic consequences Iraq could face as a result of the continued smuggling of crude oil from the Kurdistan Region, stressing that this dangerous issue could lead to international sanctions being imposed on the country.
Al-Zubaidi told Al-Maalouma News Agency that “oil smuggling operations from the region are taking place through influential networks supported by powerful Kurdish parties, in blatant defiance of the constitution and federal laws.” He noted that “this behavior represents a direct blow to the national economy and the state’s credibility before the international community.”
He added, “The Erbil government actually exports more than one million barrels of oil per day, while officially announcing production of only 250,000 barrels. This means that more than 800,000 barrels are smuggled daily to Turkey via the port of Ceyhan, illegally.”
Al-Zubaidi stressed that “the continuation of this organized smuggling reveals dangerous political collusion and places Iraq within the crosshairs of international sanctions, amidst the suspicious silence of the federal government.”
He concluded by saying, “If Baghdad does not intervene decisively to stop these violations, Iraq will pay a heavy price and will face a stifling economic crisis that will spare neither the poor nor the country’s national security.”
The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf warned of the negative repercussions of smuggling oil from the Kurdistan Region to Turkey, noting that these practices could place Iraq at risk of international sanctions, thus exposing its economic and political stability to significant risks.
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