Who really controls Kurdistan’s gas? The Dana Gas deal, the KRG’s silence and the hidden cost of selling energy to Iraq

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis      A $2.239 billion arbitration settlement, a contract running until 2049, expanded rights for Pearl Petroleum and a new battle over gas sales to Baghdad are raising uncomfortable questions about who ultimately controls Kurdistan’s most strategic natural resource. The latest dispute over Khor Mor gas is exposing a much deeper problem in the Kurdistan Region’s energy sector: the public still does not appear to have a clear picture of who controls the region’s gas, who is authorized to sell it, and how much of its future value has already been committed to private companies. At the center of the controversy is Pearl Petroleum, the consortium led by Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, and a settlement agreement reached with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on August 30, 2017. Kurdistan Parliament member Kawa Sheikh Ali has now sharply criticized that agreement, asking why a government would effectively commit its natural ...
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Iranian Kurdish Ground Offensive Talk Falters, But Potential Lingers

        Regional Pushback and Strategic Realities Stall Kurdish Uprising Plans Against Tehran

 

    Kurdish fighters watch over a valley and a village burning, image is AI generated for illustration only

Sulaimanyah, Iraqi Kurdistan (Kurdish Policy Analysis) – Plans for a coordinated ground offensive by Iranian Kurdish armed groups against Tehran’s regime stalled after early enthusiasm from U.S. and Israeli policymakers collided with regional caution and strategic reality, Kurdish commanders and regional officials said.

In the weeks after the U.S. and Israel began military operations against Iran, there was speculation in Western capitals that Iranian Kurdish dissident fighters based in Iraq’s semi‑autonomous Kurdistan Region might be encouraged to open a new front inside Iran. Early comments by U.S. political figures praising Kurdish involvement raised hopes among some dissident circles.

However, senior Iraqi Kurdish authorities rebuffed the idea of their territory being used as a staging ground for cross‑border attacks, warning of Iranian retaliation and refusing to act as “guns for hire,” according to interviews in Koya. Tehran’s consistent military pressure on Kurdish bases in northern Iraq, including drone strikes, reinforced fears of escalation.

Turkey also balked at the notion of arming Kurdish factions, concerned that empowering armed Kurdish groups could destabilise its own restive Kurdish regions. Within Iran, many ethnic Kurds likewise expressed caution, stressing that fractured organisation and a lack of broad internal uprising made a successful offensive unlikely at present.

Kurdish commanders acknowledged they possess weapons and dispersed networks inside Iran, saying they remain ready to act if conditions change. “We have weapons… but nothing happened,” one dissident leader said, underscoring persistent intent despite the stalled mobilisation.

Analysts say a future offensive could hinge on a wider internal revolt inside Iran, formalised foreign military support, or a significant shift in the broader war’s dynamics. Still, regional and logistical constraints have so far kept Kurdish fighters on standby rather than in active engagement.

#Iran #Kurds #MiddleEast #IranConflict #KurdishForces #Iraq #Tehran #RegionalSecurity


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