KRG upholds US energy deals: Contracts legally ratified

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) defended its agreements with US energy firms HKN Energy and WesternZagros, clarifying that the contracts are not new and have already been legally ratified by Iraqi courts.

In a statement, the Kurdish Ministry of Natural Resources said the recent developments relate only to changes in the implementing companies, carried out within the legal and contractual frameworks of the existing agreements. “The two companies have been active in the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas sector for years and are among its main producers,” the ministry explained.

The remarks came in response to Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, which earlier rejected the recent agreements—estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars—for the development of the Miran and Topkhana-Kurdamir gas fields in Al-Sulaymaniyah. Baghdad claimed the deals lacked federal authorization and breached national legal procedures.

The KRG denounced these allegations, reaffirming its commitment to its constitutional rights as a federal entity within Iraq. The ministry emphasized that “the agreements are not only lawful but also vital to meeting domestic energy needs, particularly in supplying fuel to power plants to ensure uninterrupted electricity services across the country.”