State Department: US Has no Ban on Oil Sales from Any Part of Iraq

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• 22-06-2015
  Miran Šarkezi
  No ban even from ISIS?
• 30-03-2015
  Hamdi Hanar
  FROM Berlin: Where where China and Russia when thousands of Eyzidis, surrounded by death cult Da'sh, were stranded on Mt Sinjar ? Where were they when Da'sh threatened Hawler and the Peshmerga were being routed ? US airtrikes stoped Da'sh from killing thousands of Yezidis on Mt Sinjar and savid Hawler from being overun. US airstrikes showed the world that Da'sh is not invincible. US airstrikes made possible Peshmerga recapture of SInjar and Ninewa Plains. Go ahead and trust Russia. They treat their neighbors so well. Just ask Ukraine.
• 23-03-2015
  corrupt
  Kurdistan will become there own government and shall take all the oil that is rightfully theirs and sale it to whom ever they want, when they become there own government. But special circumstance such as war on IS should be allowed leeway. Do whats best for the people not what is best for you Iraq.
• 28-02-2015
  MeMy SelfAndi
  America doesnt even get oil from that area of the World, so why have a ban?.....
• 21-02-2015
  Adam
  I am not sure what people are moaning about there. She's just a speaker and a trainee. She can only read what is written to her and reply what she is trained on. If KRG wants to know if they can sell their oil in States and pocket the money, i would suggest that your minister invite US embassy, hand them the question and wait for a formal answer to come through....
• 17-02-2015
  HAMID Sayadi
  Iraq time is coming to be 3 country, come to your sense we are a country of KURDISTAN
• 23-01-2015
  CarlosFromPhilly
  My god, she is terrible at her job.
• 17-01-2015
  FRED BOND
  The United states has dropped the ball again, we should deal with KURDS first and IRAQ Government last.WE are so confused we don't know witch way to point our pecker,s
• 14-01-2015
  Rafigh
  The
• 10-10-2014
  Bassel
  what happens when the ISIS sells the oil does the usa buys the oil also .
• 07-10-2014
  bydanyar sad
  Another American Joke , than why a tanker of oil could not be sold to the states? Another American lie , they even said that they do not want to do anything international with Kurdistan because they don't want to upset the central government of Iraq , simply because they want Kurdish oil and contracts BUT they don't want to give up Souths... They're friendship relays on how much they can make at the moment. Kurds need to smell the coffe now not later
• 20-09-2014
  KH
  @Sadha - Speaking as an American, I find Obama's strategy of arming these fictional Sunni "moderates" in Syria to be inexcusably foolish. I, and many of my fellow countrymen, have been left shaking our heads these last few years as Obama supported the toppling of the (relatively friendly) Egyptian government, protested the toppling of the Muslim Brotherhood regime which took its place, and ignored the violent suppression of the 2009 Iranian election protests. His foreign policy has been a disaster since the day he took office, and most of us are frustrated with the direction our country is going. Our military leaders disagree with elements of his current approach to ISIS, but he has made a habit of sacking any general who disagrees with him. Kurdistan deserves recognition as an independent state. I hope we can be a part of Kurdistan's future, an ally, but it will fall on me and my fellow countrymen in the future to choose some better leaders. As for ISIS oil, I have heard nothing of it being sold to anyone but two-faced Turkey and (surprisingly) Assad in Syria (I still question if Assad really used chemical weapons; reading about ISIS fighters choking to death on their own chlorine gas bomb lends more credence to the notion that they were the ones who were actually using them). We ought to bomb the pumping stations to cut off ISIS' income while leaving the rest of the infrastructure intact. If any western oil company is actually taking this blood money, they should be exposed, boycotted and sanctioned.
• 05-09-2014
  Lupus
  Looks like kurdistan has the finance ministers position however the oil ministers position is in the hands of an anti kurdistan minister. Is this a wrong move by kurdistans negotiators?
• 06-08-2014
  Hejar Mukri
  Where have gone Kurdish shares at the time of Dictator Saddam? We all Kurds know that all gone for mass graves... Where were you at that times dear ms Spokeswoman of the USA?
• 03-08-2014
  FAUthman
  Furthermore regarding the dispute in Texas, if Hawrami does not respond to the summons to appear before the Iraqi Federal Court the Court cannot pass an injunction against the KRG to halt Kurdish oil exports. That was the courts recent position. Meanwhile the Texas judge said that this issue has to be resolved in Iraq not in a court in Texas and Marie Harf says that this is a policy not a legal issue. Looks like then, Sharistani needs to talk to Hawrami and reach an agreement between Baghdad and Arbil, and both are capable intelligent men, or the Kurds will go their own way. So where do we go from here!
• 02-08-2014
  FAUthman
  To whose benfit is it, and how would it serve U.S. strategic intersts in the region to keep Kurdistan starved for fiances. The US may have finally realized that in its efforts to keep Iraq together by forcing the Kurds to bow to Baghdad`s will in the oil dispute it is in reality pushing the Kurds ireluctably towards independence, which they will seek if this hassle with Baghdad continues and if their tankers continue being blocked from selling their cargoes of Kurdish oil.
• 02-08-2014
  NH
  Then why don't you let anyone buy our oil????
• 01-08-2014
  FAUthman
  Latest from Reuters: Iraq wants to try the tanker dipute in Iraq using the Federal Court and not in the US since it is obvious it can control an Iraqi court and not one in the US and most likely will loose in the US if the complaint filed in Texas is not dropped.. Just as we thought.
• 01-08-2014
  Muraz Adzhoev
  Kurdish oil and all other natural resources belong to the people of Southern Kurdistan, which was named as the Kurdistan autonomous region of Iraq in the constitution of the failed federative state. The basic political, economic and legal provisions concerning the relationship and partnership between Iraq and KAR were clearly determined in that constitution. But Baghdad, Arab components and parties of the federative state did not respect them at all. No issues in connection with the constitutional rights of KAR were resolved appropriately. And now the withdrawal of South Kurdistan from Iraq is absolutely legal and fair decision according to the same constitution and, which is much more significant, to the international law. Do you know that, Mr. President Barak Hussein Obama and Mr. State secretary John Kerry??????
• 01-08-2014
  FAUthman
  Correction, the news about the second tanker headed to the US is from Bloomberg not Reuters, and it is trucked oil out of Dortoyl, Turkey. It is the 6th such tanker with trucked Kurdish oil reaching the US mainland. The tanker is Minerva Joy destined to Paulsboro, New Jersey. Yes the Texas court can seize the Kurdish cargo if it gets iside US coastal waters. But while it is examining the evidence from KRG lawyers and the ruling is stll pending, more Kurdish tankers will keep coming. There are buyers in the far east if elsewhere buyers are hesitant.
• 01-08-2014
  FAUthman
  Correction, the news about the second tanker headed to the US is from Bloomberg not Reuters, and it is trucked oil out of Dortoyl, Turkey. It is the 6th such tanker with trucked Kurdish oil reaching the US mainland. The tanker is Minerva Joy destined to Paulsboro, New Jersey. Yes the Texas court can seize the Kurdish cargo if it gets iside US coastal waters. But while it is examining the evidence from KRG lawyers and the ruling is stll pending, more Kurdish tankers will keep coming. There are buyers in the far east if elsewhere buyers are hesitant.
• 01-08-2014
  FAUthman
  A second tanker with Kurdish oil is headed to the US east coast while the United Kalavytra waits in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Reuters. How is that for a piece of great news!
• 01-08-2014
  Warda
  @Carl the case is not closed entirely but the US judge essentially overruled her own verdict, by herself, it's clear that it was pointed out to her that KRG would win if the matter went to court, and that was not the intention by those who wanted to stop the oil sale, KRG's lawyers should have insisted that the case go to court, once they win in a US court it's game over for the central government. The central government lost here in Iraq against KRG, notice how the central government uses the term "illegal", but ask them to point out where in the Iraqi constitution or the oil law is it illegal for KRG to develop or sell the oil from their own region? as long as the sharing formula 83%-17% is upheld it's legal, and that's exactly what the clever folks running KRG have done so far, the revenue of the oil they sell is transferred to a Turkish bank where 83% is reserved for the central government, KRG takes only 17%, even Kuwait's reparation is paid from the share. Legally the central government simply has no case, this is a political matter now, and even that seems slowly to go in favor of KRG both in Iraq and outside.
• 01-08-2014
  FAUthman
  This is very clear, the US does not ban Kurdish oil sales and does not say anymore that the sales of Kurdish oil should go through Baghdad, as it has done in the past. It says, and the Kurds agree that the proceeds from all of Iraq`s oil exports should be fairly and consitutionally generated and distributed. Ask then did Baghdad live up to this US standard by denying the Kurds their fair 17% share of the national revenue and by halting Fed. budget payments to Kurdistan for six months.
• 01-08-2014
  Independence Now
  They deny our right to sell our oil by saying that the Kurdish oil belongs to the Iraqi state.I am sure that Obama is empowering the Arabs against the Kurds,and is imposing on us total surrender and slavery till to starvation.In such a state if we were obliged to eat grass to survive,then the American president would say that the grass delongs to the Iraqi state and not to the Kurds.
• 01-08-2014
  Muraz Adzhoev
  Where is the newly elected president Massoum? Where is his true statement on this illegal action of the Iraqi government?
• 01-08-2014
  Lupus
  Is there a president of the usa? Freedom and equality for all,apparently except the kurds, the encumbant prime minister of iraq has demonstrated that he is an arab first and always snd that he cares not about the other races in iraq, or other religions. How many innocent people have to be tortured,maimed and killed, rape, babies killed. Bagdad using barrel bombs killing its own people indiscriminately, before the presidential debate is over. Sorry its POLICY, we would like to help but we may upset the corrupt people in bagdad. Where has american justice and courage gone? Tell you what, lets give the arabs some hellfire missiles, sorry Sell some hellfire missiles,may be some collateral damage,kill a few women and children but what the hell wars a bloody buisness. The refugees in kurdistan can sort themselves out,the iranians may help or the russians.
• 01-08-2014
  Carl
  @Warda: Are you saying the Texax case is closed? Will there not be any look on the kurdish side of matters and a new ruling?
• 01-08-2014
  shia pig government
  no likes the shia pig government.
• 01-08-2014
  United kurdish of canada
  Attention MR Arabs we kurds don't want to live with you we know it will hurt you,but we don't care we just want to be free do wath we want to do and take care of our people and our nature and our land.if about 200 country's in world have write to freedom,why not we 50.000,000. Etnic kurds have freedom too.So go fuck yourself and find some Arabs to join your land, because we are the KURDS,zertoshtian. we can only be fraiends and neighbours.thank you Arabs for understanding.kapush kapish
• 01-08-2014
  hypocrits
  haha it is all iraqis oil when kurds are selling, but where is the kurds share when iraq sells? Suck a big dick.
• 01-08-2014
  Warda
  It would have been a gift from heaven for KRG if the case had actually gone to court in the US, the central government would have lost, they lost against KRG here in Iraq when the Iraqi supreme court ruled against the central government!. The judge in the US panicked after she realized what she had done when she gave the order gave the order to seize the oil, KRG's lawyers never asked her to turn her own ruling and were looking forward to try the case, so why did she? I guess she found out that the Iraqi constitution isn't ambiguous about this issue at all, Iraq has no case and KRG have so far played their hand perfectly by only taking 17% of the income from the account in Turkey.