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Preliminary estimates suggested that Iraqs Eridu oil field holds between 7-10 billion barrels of reserves. Senior Russian oil industry sources spoken to exclusively by OilPrice.com said the true figure may well be 50 percent more than the higher figure of that band. In either event, the Eridu field part of Iraqs Block 10 exploration and development region is the biggest oil find in Iraq in the last 20 years, and Russia wants to control all of it, alongside its chief geopolitical ally, China.

The approval last week by Iraqs Oil Ministry for Inpex the major oil company of key U.S. ally Japan to sell its 40 percent stake in the Block 10 region that contains the huge Eridu discovery leaves the way clear for Lukoil to take total control of the entire oil-rich area.

Block 10 lies in the southeast of Iraq, approximately 120 km west of the key oil export route from Basra, and just south of the huge oil fields in and around Nassirya.

Back in 2021 at least before the U.S. formally withdrew from Iraq by ending its combat mission there at the end of December it was clear that Washington knew what Russia and China were up to long term in the country, and how the U.S. was being manipulated by Iraq. In a moment of insight, the then-U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Dana Stroul, said: Its [] clear that certain countries and partners would want to hedge and test what more they might be able to get from the United States by testing the waters of deeper co-operation with the Chinese or the Russians, particularly in the security and military space. This view could equally have been aimed, not just at Iraq, but also at most other countries in the Middle East at that time most notably Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. That said, this profound insight had no effect on Washington at that point, and posed no impediment at all to either Russia or Chinas continued drive to entirely push the U.S. out of the Middle East, as analysed in depth in in my new book on the new global oil market order.

Multiple field exploration and development deals, plus countless lower-profile contract-only agreements, with Russian and Chinese firms allow the two countries plenty of scope to leverage these out into a harder geopolitical presence across the country, including into the very fabric of its key infrastructure.

These plans, in turn, link into corollary plans by Russia and China to turn the entire southeast region of Iraq that culminates with the major oil export hub of Basra into a region criss-crossed by Russian- and Chinese-controlled oil and gas fields and transportation hubs.

See the rest here:
Russia takes control of Iraq's biggest oil discovery for 20 years - Modern Diplomacy

Iraqis marked International Volunteer Day on Tuesday with campaigns to clean up communities and nurture a greener environment.

Armed with gloves, brooms, rubbish bags and saplings, Baghdad residents joined forces to transform the banks of the Tigris river, which snakes through the capital.

I think its a good time to serve my country, biologist Shireen Ali, 30, told The National after sweeping the steps leading to the riverbank in the city's Azamiyah district.

You will not get money when you volunteer to do something but in the end you will do something for your country, Ms Ali said, wearing a white glove and holding a broom.

Stop complaining that this is not clean, this is not painted and there are no trees in the streets: you take one day off from your work and come and do something, and enjoy, she added.

The UN hailed global efforts on this year's International Volunteer Day, the theme of which is The power of collective action: if everyone did.

On this important day, lets recommit to ensuring that all people can lend their energies to shaping a better future for all people and the planet we share, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Lets stand with volunteers, everywhere, he added.

Baghdad is plagued by poor municipal services, inadequate waste disposal and high levels of pollution. Rubbish and waste piles are common sights in some areas of the city, especially the riverbanks.

Volunteer groups have been cleaning up the city, including in a campaign last year focusing on the banks of the Tigris.

Ahmed Al Khazali, 30, has been volunteering for 10 years, leading up to 70 volunteers in three neighbourhoods in eastern Baghdad.

We want to send a message to all citizens to take responsibility and serve the country amid this negligence, Mr Al Khazali said.

His team helps poor families, and organises clean-up projects and workshops.

The country needs a lot. If we unite and co-operate to serve it we will make a change, the business college student added.

Decades of war, UN-imposed sanctions, political and security instability and mismanagement have pushed pollution in Iraq to worrying levels.

The country is plagued by oil pollution, discharges of untreated waste into waterways and even nuclear and dioxin contamination.

It is also classified by the UN as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to climate change.

Its severe water crisis has been gradually worsening for decades, negatively affected by climate change, mismanagement and pollution.

Iraqs two main water sources, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which account for more than 90 per cent of the countrys reserves, have significantly declined over the years.

Construction of dams and diversion of water upstream in Turkey and Iran has exacerbated the crisis.

Desertification affects 39 per cent of the country and 54 per cent of its agricultural land has been degraded, mainly due to soil salinity caused by historically low water levels in the two rivers, reduced rainfall and the rise in sea levels.

Updated: December 05, 2023, 3:17 PM

Read more from the original source:
Iraq marks International Volunteer Day with nationwide clean-up and tree-planting - The National

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

A US air strike in northern Iraq killed five militants, Central Command said, in a "self defence" strike as the militants "prepared to launch a one-way attack drone."

The air strike hit militiamen on Sunday in Kirkuk province, according to a Centcom statement, which is affiliated with Iran-backed Shiite militias.

"Iraqi Security Forces were notified of the strike and responded to the location, where they confirmed the death of the militants and the destruction of the drone. The United States will continue to defend US and coalition personnel from attacks," the statement read.

The air strike came after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of Tehran-allied militias, claimed responsibility for a drone attack on US troops in northern Iraq and a rocket attack in Syria.

Iran's proxy groups have increased drone and drone attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria due to Washington's support of Israel in the Israel-Gaza war, which began after Hamas operatives killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in Israel on October 7.

The attacks against US forces have hit Ain Al Asad in western Iraq, a military base near Baghdad's international airport, and Harir airport in the northern city of Erbil, as well as bases inside Syria.

At least 62 US personnel have suffered minor injuries or traumatic brain injuries in the attacks, according to the Pentagon.

In retaliation, the US carried out three limited air strikes in Syria, but late last month it expanded these attacks to Iraq, killing at least nine militiamen.

Iraqi militia groups have vowed to increase their attacks.

Updated: December 05, 2023, 2:15 PM

Read the original here:
Air strike kills at least five militants in northern Iraq - The National

Iraqs prime minister warns Washington against any attack on Iraqi territory after a resumption of fighting in the Israel-Hamas war renewed concerns of a wider conflict.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani makes the comment during a phone call made to him by United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sudanis office says.

On November 22, US fighter jets struck two targets in Iraq, killing nine pro-Iran fighters in retaliation for repeated attacks on American troops, US and Iraqi sources said.

Hours earlier, a warplane struck the vehicle of Iran-backed fighters after they had fired a short-range ballistic missile at US and allied personnel, according to the Pentagon.

The strikes came after US forces deployed in Iraq and Syria were attacked at least 74 times, according to Pentagon officials, a surge linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.

During his call with Blinken, Sudani rejected any attack on Iraqi territory, the statement from his office says.

Sudani also said the Iraqi government is committed to ensuring the safety of the international coalition advisers present in Iraq.

The US strikes targeted positions of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization), a coalition of former paramilitary forces integrated into the Iraqi regular military.

Washingtons strikes killed nine fighters, according to tolls by the Hezbollah Brigades, an important faction within the Hashed al-Shaabi.

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Iraq warns US against 'attacks' after strikes against Iran-backed groups - The Times of Israel

Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings has scheduled three new routes to Iraq and one to Armenia as it expands its network farther east.

The German airline, which resumed flights to Dubai at the start of the winter 2023-24 season after a seven-year absence, plans to commence a trio of services to Erbil, thecapital and most populated city in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Flights to Erbil International Airport (EBL) from Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and Hamburg Airport will begin on Dec. 19, followed by Stuttgart Airport the next day. Operations from the three German airports will each be twice a week using Airbus A320-family aircraft.

The new routes join Eurowings existing flights from Dusseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Erbil, which launched in December 2020. Flights on this 2,094-mi. (1,820-nm) sector are currently provided twice a week.

The LCC is one of three airlines to connect Germany and Iraq nonstop at the present time, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows. Iraqi Airways and UR Airlines each fly from Erbil to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich, while UR Airlines also offers flights to Hanover (HAJ).

Once Eurowings new routes begin, nonstop scheduled weekly capacity between Germany and Iraq will increase to about 7,000 two-way seats, up by about 52% on pre-pandemic levels. Eurowings will account for approximately 45% of the total capacity, with its new routes likely targeting the community of some 300,000 Iraqisliving in Germany.

Alongside the Iraq expansion, Eurowings intends to launch seven more new routes in December 2023, offering routes from BER to Innsbruck, Austria; Tbilisi, Georgia; and Tromso, Norway. New service will also be offered on four more sectors: Dusseldorf and Ivalo, Finland;Hanover and Munich; Hamburg and Tromso; and Salzburg and Amsterdam.

Additionally, Eurowings has scheduled a new route to Armenia, due to begin during the northern summer 2024 season. A weekly service from BER to Yerevans Zvartnots InternationalAirport will start on May 3, 2024, using A319 equipment. The route will join the airlines existing flights to the Armenian capital, which are scheduled to operate weekly from Cologne/Bonn and DUS during the summer of 2024.

Read more:
Eurowings Adds Iraq And Armenia Routes - Aviation Week