Energy battle intensifies: Baghdad sues Erbil over gas deals

Shafaq News/ Iraq’s Oil Ministry filed a lawsuit against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over two gas contracts signed with US firms, three sources told Reuters.

The KRG had signed agreements worth tens of billions of dollars with HKN Energy and WesternZagros to develop the Miran and Topkhana gas fields near al-Sulaymaniyah.

Baghdad rejected the deals, arguing they violated federal jurisdiction over natural resources. “These agreements fall exclusively within the federal government’s mandate,” Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani told Shafaq News.

The new legal challenge marks the latest setback in efforts to restart the Iraq–Turkiye oil pipeline, which has remained shut since March 2023.