Author: El Thousta

Iraq boosted its oil exports to the United States by 30.5% in the first five months of 2023, according to data by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) calculated by the Shafaq News agency.   Compared to the same period in 2021, the total Iraqi exports to the U.S. between January and May 2023 surged by 61%. Per the EIA data of U.S. imports of Iraqi oil, February saw the biggest volume of Iraqi oil entering the United States so far this year, 12.168 million barrels. March 2023 was the month with the lowest U.S. imports between January and May, with U.S. oil imports from…

In an astonishing heist, guards at a bank here made off with more than a quarter-billion dollars on Wednesday, according to an official at the Interior Ministry. The robbery, of $282 million from the Dar Es Salaam bank, a private financial institution, raised more questions than it answered, and officials were tight-lipped about the crime. The local police said two guards engineered the robbery, but an official at the Interior Ministry said three guards were involved. Both confirmed that the stolen money was in American dollars, not Iraqi dinars. It was unclear why the bank had that much money on…

Berlin (25/7 – 16.67) The table is set for the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast to remain a geopolitical hotspot. Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), eastern Tajikistan, is the home to the Pamir Mountains, also called “the roof of the world”, whose sharp mountain ranges and deep valleys resemble a lunar landscape. A far-flung frontier, situated in a troubled neighborhood, next to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, GBAO is a geopolitical treasure tethered to exterior interests: the authoritarian central Tajik government in Dushanbe, Chinese economic and military interests, and Russia, which historically frames the Pamirs as a part of its…

Fourteen private banks have been banned from dealing with the US dollar for reportedly siphoning funds to Iran and money laundering. Dozens of people protested outside the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad while bank owners urged action as the Iraqi dinar fell after the United States blacklisted 14 Iraqi banks. The demonstrations took place on Wednesday as the 14 banks issued a joint statement calling on the Iraqi government to intervene. The private banks are banned from dealing with US dollars for reportedly siphoning funds to Iran as well as on suspicion of money laundering. The latest US sanctions…

A barter of Iranian natural gas for Iraqi oil as described by the Iraqi prime minister this week would likely violate U.S. sanctions on Tehran unless the U.S. issued a waiver permitting it, three former U.S. officials said on Thursday. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Tuesday said Iraq would begin trading crude oil for Iranian gas to end recurring payment delays to Tehran due to required U.S. approval for such transactions. Sudani said Iran had cut gas exports to Iraq by more than half as of July 1 after Baghdad failed to secure U.S. approval to disburse owed…

Russian occupiers are trying to restrain the offensive of Ukrainian soldiers in the Berdyansk direction. In particular, the enemy does not abandon attempts to capture Maryinka. This was announced on the air of the telethon by the speaker of the Defense Forces of the Tauride direction Valery Shershen, RBC-Ukraine reports . The defense forces continue to resist enemy assaults in the Avdiivka direction. In particular, the enemy is actively defending in the Berdyansk direction, trying to neutralize the offensive actions of Ukrainian units. Over the past day, the Russians attacked Ukrainian positions in the Taurida direction 20 times and carried out 559 attacks. “The…

The Iraqi National Security Advisor, Qasim Al-Araji, suggested holding an international conference at the level of foreign ministers to deal with the issue of the Al-Hol camp in Syria. During a meeting held at the Al-Nahrain Center for Strategic Studies regarding Iraq’s vision of the Al-Hol camp, Al-Araji explained that the Iraqi government, after declaring victory over ISIS, launched a campaign to rebuild the areas affected by the war, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA). The Iraqi official elaborated that the government has repeatedly confirmed that the Al-Hol camp poses a threat to Iraq and the world and must…

Iraq is working to start technical talks with Turkey by early next week on the resumption of oil exports from northern Iraq, but hopes appear low that a quick solution can be reached, sources told Reuters. Turkey stopped Iraq’s exports of 450,000 barrels per day through the oil pipeline that extends from the Kurdistan region of Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on March 25. The 80-day halt of oil exports from the Kurdistan region of Iraq cost the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) more than $2 billion, Reuters reported. Sources revealed that discussions at a technical level regarding the…

Iraq will voluntarily cut oil production by 211,000 barrels per day (bpd) from May until the end of this year, the country’s oil ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The move is a “precautionary measure” taken in coordination with some countries of OPEC+, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, to stabilize the global oil market, it said. Ministry data show that Iraq is producing more than 4.5 million bpd. Oil prices have risen since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February last year, benefiting oil-exporting countries including Iraq. However, oil prices declined in…

The United States is widely monitoring one of the western regions of Iraq’s Al-Anbar to build its second military base in the province after the Ain Al-Assad base, an Iraqi security source revealed, as cited by local media outlets. The media suggested that the US chose Al-Jazira area to construct its military bases due to its large oil and gas fields, as well as other mines. According to the reports, the area is one of Iraq’s completely safe regions and has not witnessed any attacks for a long time.The United States is widely monitoring one of the western regions of Iraq’s…