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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Renewed drone strikes hit Sulaimani after deadly morning assault escalates security crisis



By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj

Renewed strikes targeted my city Sulaimani province Friday following one of Tehran’s deadliest attacks on the Kurdistan Region earlier in the day.

“We strongly condemn the attacks on the city of Sulaimani and Kurdistan. We reiterate that the Kurdistan Region and the local government of Sulaimani, maintaining neutrality and responsibility, are not a part of the war that has engulfed the region,” Sulaimani governor Haval Abubaker posted on Facebook.


The governor urged citizens to “stay away from the bombardment sites and avoid obstructing traffic in order for security forces, internal security, and other relevant authorities to be able to carry out their duties professionally.”

Strikes have targeted Tasluja, north of Sulaimani’s International Airport, following similar attacks earlier in the day against Kurdish dissident group Komala Toilers of Kurdistan, which resulted in the deaths of nine of its members and several others wounded.

Iranian Persian News Agency announced that a large fire broke out in the warehouses of the headquarters of separatist groups in Erbil and Sulaimani

Iran's Persian news agency reported that a large fire broke out in the warehouse of the headquarters of separatist groups in Erbil and Sulaimani.

The area near Tasluja does not contain the headquarters of any Kurdish party in East Kurdistan

Iran carried out the missile attack from the heights of the village of Belayi in the city of Jawanro in Kermanshah province

Iranian Human Rights Monitoring Organization (Hangaw) reported that five missiles were fired from the border of Jawanro.

According to Hangaw, the attack, which killed nine Peshmergas and wounded two others, was carried out in the heights of Belayi village in Jawanro city of Kermanshah province.

Iran and the Kurdistan Region

"The Kurdistan Region as a nation and as a political party has not created any problems for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Just a week ago, most of the heads of official and party institutions of Kurdistan region in Tehran attended the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Therefore, what Iran is doing against the Kurdistan Region is against the entire region, its nation and institutions. Therefore, we condemn these unjust attacks." Wrote a senior leader of one kurdish opposition group in Kurdistan.

Another academic and university teacher wrote on social media: “Whoever is around the furnace will get sparks. Unfortunately, the war that has broken out in the region, whether we like it or not, we are on the path of war. May God protect our country. Both sides of the war and our surroundings are ardent enemies of the Kurds, or at best they want us as fighters and stone throwers to achieve their goals."

He also elaborated "I hope this war, which is harmful to everyone, especially to the region and our citizens, will end as soon as possible.".

Another citizen of Kurdistan wrote "Damn the war, damn the invaders and oppressive groups that put our region in a state of insecurity for groundless reasons."

Another person commented "What Iran and its mercenaries are doing is extremely hostile and oppressive towards the Kurdistan Region, because the Kurdistan Region is not part of creating a threat to that country. May God protect us and our country."

Shwan Mohammed a renowned kurdish journalist wrote that " This round of war, Iran seems to have forgotten that it is fighting the United States. It seems to think that the collapse of the United States will come through the Kurdistan Region. The war that Iran is waging against the Kurds this time is not against the Kurds of one part, but against all Kurds and South Kurdistan."

This is a developing story …

#Sulaimani #Kurdistan #Iraq #DroneAttack #MiddleEast #RegionalSecurity #Geopolitics #Conflict #BreakingNews #KurdishPolicyAnalysis

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