BAGHDAD: Iraq’s oil ministry announced Saturday the resumption of oil exports from northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
The exports had been halted for nearly two years after the International Chamber of Commerce sided with Iraq in an arbitration case as a long-standing dispute over the independent export of oil by the Kurdish regional government.
The ministry said in a statement that it had completed the necessary procedures to restart shipments through Turkiye’s Ceyhan port.
It said that exports will resume in accordance with federal budget regulations and Iraq’s OPEC production quota, according to the “agreed-upon framework.”
The ministry urged the Kurdish region’s authorities to transfer crude oil extracted from the region’s oil fields to the State Organization for Marketing of Oil, facilitating its exports via the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline.
“We call on the regional authorities to deliver the produced quantities in line with signed contracts to ensure smooth operations,” it said.
Officials in Baghdad and Irbil, the seat of the Kurdish regional government, have long been at odds over sharing of oil revenues. In 2014, the Kurdish region decided to unilaterally export oil through an independent pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
Baghdad called the move “smuggling” and “robbery” and filed a case against Turkiye in the International Court of Arbitration, arguing that Turkiye was violating the provisions of the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline agreement signed in 1973.
The central government considers it illegal for Irbil to export oil without going through the Iraqi national oil company, while Kurdish authorities have said the practice is meant to compensate for budget transfers withheld from the Kurdish region by Baghdad.
Iraq stopped sending oil through the pipeline in March 2023 after the arbitration court ruled in Baghdad’s favor.
Iraq says oil exports from Kurdish region by way of Turkiye set to resume
https://arab.news/8kytw
Iraq says oil exports from Kurdish region by way of Turkiye set to resume
- Iraq stopped sending oil through the pipeline in March 2023 after the arbitration court ruled in Baghdad’s favor
UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were notified and arrived shortly after the incident
DUBAI: A large group of civilians wielding metal rods and axes attacked a patrol of UN troops in southern Lebanon on Friday, causing damage to UN vehicles but no injuries, a United Nations peacekeeping force said.
The UN troops used non-lethal force to protect themselves and those present, according to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding the patrol had been on a routine operation between the villages of Jmayjmeh and Khirbat Silim.
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were notified and arrived shortly after the incident, escorting the patrol back to base.
UNIFIL said the patrol had been pre-planned and coordinated with the LAF.
The UN peacekeeping mission stressed that its mandate, under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, guarantees freedom of movement in its area of operations with or without LAF accompaniment.
On Wednesday, UNIFIL said that direct fire from the Israeli army had hit the perimeter of one of its peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon. UNIFIL said the incident on Tuesday was the first of its kind since Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last November.
British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital
- Dr. Tom Potokar, consultant plastic surgeon, took video after 6 bombs killed 28 people at European Gaza Hospital
- ‘It’s a direct hit on the hospital … Shrapnel everywhere … Absolute mayhem’
LONDON: A British doctor in Gaza has released footage showing the devastation caused by an Israeli airstrike on the European Gaza Hospital near the southern city of Khan Younis on Thursday.
Dr. Tom Potokar, a consultant plastic surgeon, shared the video with the BBC, documenting the aftermath of an attack by Israel on the facility. Six bombs were dropped on the hospital, killing 28 people.
Potokar, who has traveled to Gaza 16 times to provide vital treatment to Palestinians trapped in the enclave, described the footage as a “snapshot” of his experience working at the hospital.
In the video, he described an “absolutely massive strike … right in front of the emergency room,” as people ran and lay on the ground outside the hospital.
“Shrapnel everywhere. Devastation right in the forecourt of the hospital. Absolutely terrible,” he said in the footage.
In further scenes described as “absolute mayhem,” Potokar walked through the corridors of the hospital as medics, patients and other civilians tried to respond to the attack.
“It’s a direct hit on the hospital,” he said, as screams echoed in the background and smoke billowed through the building.
Standing outside an operating theater, Potokar then turned the camera on himself to survey the damage, and said the facility was “too dangerous” to take people to be operated on, and staff were leaving to find shelter. He later reported that the hospital had been entirely evacuated.
Potokar told the BBC: “We’ve been treating patients with huge open wounds, some even with maggots in, infected, multiple amputations, children down to the age of two with significant nerve injuries, traumatic brain injuries.”
At least 114 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza on Thursday, according to local authorities.
King of Jordan and US vice president discuss regional peace efforts
AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II and US Vice President JD Vance discussed current developments in the Middle East and emphasized the strategic partnership between their two countries during a phone call on Thursday, Petra, the Jordan News Agency, reported.
The king reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid, and an end to hostilities in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
He also highlighted the vital role the United States has in the drive to achieve a lasting peace in the region through a two-state solution.
US ‘troubled’ by Gaza humanitarian crisis: Rubio
- Secretary of state reiterates need for Hamas to release hostages, says it cannot continue to exist
- ‘We’re not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza’
LONDON: The US is “troubled” by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told the BBC.
The Palestinian enclave has been blocked from receiving food and other supplies by Israeli forces for the past 10 weeks.
The blockade was imposed after Israel ended a ceasefire agreement that led to an exchange of hostages held by Hamas and prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Since then, Israel has conducted numerous strikes in Gaza, with an expanded second ground offensive expected in the coming weeks.
Rubio, who was in Turkiye at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, told the BBC: “We’re not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza, and I know that there’s opportunities here to provide aid for them.”
He said Hamas needs to release all remaining hostages, and there is no prospect of peace while the group continues to exist.
Rubio’s words come amid talk of a dispute between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and after at least 114 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
Italy and UAE to announce AI hub deal on Friday
MILAN: Italy and the United Arab Emirates will announce on Friday an agreement to develop an artificial intelligence hub in Italy, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said at an event in Milan.
