Peregraf
The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has issued a strong statement rejecting the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) recently announced multi-billion-dollar energy contracts, declaring them legally invalid and unconstitutional.
The KRG revealed that it signed two massive oil and gas deals with U.S. energy firms HKN/Onex Group (operating as Miran Energy) and Western Zagros. Valued at over $100 billion, the agreements were finalized in Washington, D.C., on May 19 and target the development of the Miran and Topkhana-Kurdemir fields in Sulaimani province—an area estimated to hold 13 trillion cubic feet of gas and 9 million barrels of oil.
In response, the Federal Oil Ministry released an official clarification rejecting what it called “procedures related to the Ministry of Natural Resources’ contracting” in these fields. The Ministry cited rulings by the Federal Supreme Court—including Case No. 59/Federal 2012 and its unified 110/Federal 2019—as grounds for deeming any such contracts invalid.
“These procedures violate the decisions issued by the Federal Court of Cassation,” the Ministry stated. “Oil resources belong to all Iraqis, and any investment in these resources must be undertaken through the federal government.”
While acknowledging the urgent national need to boost gas production to power Iraq’s electricity grid, the Ministry warned that unilateral moves by the KRG represent “a clear violation of Iraqi law.”
The statement comes just after KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani presided over the signing ceremony in the U.S. capital, promoting the deals as a turning point in regional development. “This billion-dollar agreement proves the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to peace and economic growth,” Barzani said, pledging to deliver round-the-clock electricity across the Kurdistan Region and share any surplus with other parts of Iraq.
However, the KRG made no attempt to involve Baghdad in the negotiations. Acting Minister of Natural Resources Kamal Mohammed stated bluntly, “We have not consulted the Iraqi Oil Ministry and we are not waiting for Baghdad to agree or not.”
For the KRG, the deals represent a critical step toward energy independence and regional self-reliance. For Baghdad, they mark a deepening of the constitutional and political rift that has long plagued federal relations in Iraq.
The Oil Ministry concluded its statement by affirming that the contracts are null and void under both the Iraqi Constitution and binding court decisions.