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Iraq: monthly report February 2024

February has been a month of intense foreign policy activism for Iraq. On February 2, the US armed forces targeted a number of sensitive objectives in the Iraqi and Syrian Kurdistan. The American airstrikes were a response to a drone attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on US facilities in the region. Since October, approximately 150 strikes have hit various American air bases operating within the international coalition against Daesh, as well as US consulates and embassies, leading to the withdrawal of non-essential diplomatic personnel from the affected areas. President Biden commented the incident stating that "Washington's military response will continue at predetermined times and locations." The White House later added that the United States is not seeking a conflict in the Middle East but that any aggression against American bases will be represent a violation of the safeguarding of American citizens abroad, and therefore, Washington will respond. The Iraqi government released a statement indicating that American forces targeted Hezbollah sites in the Anbar governorate – in western Iraq – and in the Al-Qaim district on the Iraqi Syrian border, where structures of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), a group linked to Tehran, where positioned. Despite the good relations between Baghdad and Washington, the American attacks have triggered a strong reaction from the Iraqi government, which has the intention to withdraw from the mission of the US-led international coalition against Daesh. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani and Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani have expressed deep concern about the clashes between American and Iranian forces in Kurdistan. On February 11, al-Sudani proposed a change in the approach to cooperation with the United States. The new agreement will be based on specific bilateral agreements rather than a permanent presence of American troops on Iraqi soil. In February, a series of talks began between the two countries to discuss the evolution of the permanent mission and enable a gradual reduction of the US military presence. The American troops in Iraqi Kurdistan hold significant strategic value for the United States as they allow the White House to patrol the border area with Syria, where several prisons detain Daesh fighters.

Meanwhile, Iraq has affirmed its commitment to the energy sector. The Minister of Oil, Hayyan Abdul Ghani, reiterated Iraq's dedication to compensating for production increases within the OPEC+ framework. In a statement from the Ministry, it is mentioned that during the last OPEC meeting in November 2023, Iraq and other producing countries committed to ensuring stability and balance in global oil markets by implementing voluntary measures starting from February 2024. In parallel with the oil sector, the spokesperson for the Minister of Oil, Assem Jihad, has released details of the government's investment plan in the gas sector. The report anticipates an increase in LNG production volume for the current year, thanks to the contract between the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and the French company TotalEnergies. The agreement includes a package of four deals for the development and modernization of existing gas and oil extraction facilities in the country. By the first half of 2024, Iraq aims to implement the initial phase of the agreement, which involves an increase in extraction capacity and the utilization of associated gas emitted during the oil combustion phase.

Download the February 2024 report

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