Alwaght- In the shadow of the burgeoning tensions between Iraqi central government and Kurdistan region over Erbil's oil contracts with foreign companies, the US is trying to seek roots of these differences not in the Iraqi political structure or the conflicting internal interests but in the Iranian influence in Iraq.
In this connection, while Tehran and Washington held a new round of indirect nuclear talks for a deal, the Americans upped their rhetoric against the Islamic Republic. Secretary of State Mark Rubio on Wednesday at a hearing of House Committee on Foreign Relations said that Iran's influence in Iraq has brazenly increased, reaching the government institutions and posing a significant threat to the American interests. He claimed: "This is evident in the positions of groups that have previously attacked American interests in Iraq and are now preparing to do so again." Rubio also emphasized that Iraq must respect the existence of the Kurdistan region and fully respect American companies operating in the region."
What's behind the scenes?
Behind the escalated American tone against Iran and Iraq lies the privilege of a huge energy contract the American companies have signed with Erbil leaders. Baghdad lashed out at Erbil as the unilaterally signed contract was revealed recently. So, the direct attack of Washington against the central government is actually an effort to distract the public opinion from the US geopolitical aim of dominating Iraq's energy, as there is an ongoing broader competition over resources and influence in the region.
In this relation, Ehsan al-Shomari, an Iraqi professor of strategic studies and the head of Center for Political Thought, told Sgafaq News: "The United States believes that Iranian influence is hindering progress in relations between Baghdad and Erbil and is trying to prevent the implementation of recent agreements between the Kurdistan Regional Government and American companies, especially in the energy sector, which threatens American interests."
By accusing Iran, the US is trying to hide its direct involvement in Iraq’s internal disputes and portray the signing of these agreements as stabilizing measures. This media and diplomatic policy is part of Washington’s long-term strategy to weaken Tehran’s regional position and delegitimize its role in the developments in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the root of the crisis actually goes back to legal and structural differences between Erbil and Baghdad over how to manage natural resources and the authority to conclude foreign contracts, a dispute that is rooted in different interpretations of the Iraqi constitution. However, by ignoring the domestic context, the US is trying to exploit the gap between Baghdad and Erbil and instrumentalize it against Iran.
Rubio’s statements came after the Iraqi ministry of oil announced its opposition to agreements between the KRG and American companies in the energy sector that were signed in Washington last Tuesday. In response, the ministry of natural resources of Kurdistan said that the two agreements with the companies HKN and WesternZagros are not new and have been previously approved by Iraqi courts and do not have any legal problems.
The Erbil government announced that it has signed contracts with several large American companies to invest in the two gas fields of "Miran and Topkhane-Kardamir", and that these two agreements, whose total value is estimated at tens of billions of dollars, were concluded with the aim of developing the oil and energy sector in the Kurdistan region and strengthening its economic infrastructure.
In contrast, oil ministry labeled these contracts illegal and emphasized that the management of oil and gas resources is the sole responsibility of the central government, according to the constitution and the rulings of the Federal Supreme Court. It further stressed that natural resources belong to all Iraqis and any investment must be made through the central government and with full transparency in order to guarantee national interests.
The dispute over control of these gas fields is a continuation of the old tensions between Baghdad and Erbil over control of national resources. The KRG believes that it holds the right to strike energy deals with foreign companies, while the federal government argues this violates the constitution.
This legal and political dispute between Erbil and Baghdad has repeatedly stirred tensions and delays in vital energy projects. The issue has also been brought to domestic and international courts, and in recent years, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court has explicitly ruled that the autonomous region’s actions in signing independent contracts lack legal validity. In addition, several rulings have been issued in favor of the central government in Baghdad in cases brought before international arbitration, confirming its exclusive right to manage the country’s energy resources.
Miran gas field is located west of the city of Sulaymaniyah, near the Iranian border, and was discovered by Genel Energy. Its recoverable gas is estimated at about 11.2 trillion cubic feet, and the total gas in the reservoir is estimated at 22 trillion cubic feet.
The Tobkhaneh-Kardmir gas fields have recoverable gas of between 15 and 17 trillion cubic feet, and the total reserves (including unrecoverable gas) are estimated at approximately 28 trillion cubic feet.
Therefore, these two gas fields are considered a strategic asset for Iraq and, if properly used, are a real hope for boosting gas production and improving the country's energy sector. However, success on this path requires a political and legal agreement between Baghdad and Erbil to protect the rights of all parties and achieve sustainable development.
US aims behind encroaching on Iraq's energy
The US energy policies have always been made with the aim of dominating the natural resources of the other countries and exploiting them politically and economically. This approach, which is seen as a kind of plundering of energy resources, can be seen evidently in West Asia region and Iraq is one of the main scenes of implementation of this scenario.
In recent years, the signing of gas contracts between American companies and the Kurdistan region has become one of the main drivers of tensions in the energy sector of West Asia. These contracts are ostensibly made with the aim of developing Kurdistan energy infrastructure, but a closer look at their political, economic and geopolitical dimensions shows that the US’s goals behind the scenes go far beyond mere economic cooperation.
The US’s goal in signing these contracts is to dominate Iraq’s natural gas resources, especially in Kurdistan's gas-rich areas. The Miran and Toubkhaneh-Kardmir fields have huge gas reserves that could make Iraq a key player in the regional energy market. Therefore, by expanding the presence of its companies in these fields, the US is effectively gaining control over one of Iraq’s most important future energy sources.
Also, with the entry of American companies into energy infrastructure projects in Kurdistan, technological and managerial dependence on the US is a natural result, and in the long run, it could shift the balance of power in Iraq in favor of Washington. The main goal of this strategy is not only to dominate energy resources, but also to exert influence over Iraq's political decisions, weaken the authority of the central government, and control the country's economic and security relations with the outside world.
So, with its encroachment on the Iraqi energy, the US both secures economic interests and boosts its geopolitical position in the region. In Washington's viewpoint, creating a half-independent actor in energy areas, namely Kurdistan region, can put heavier pressure on Baghdad and hinder rule of a powerful and independent centeral government, especially if this government is close to China, Russia, or Iran.
Furthermore, curbing the influence of US’s global competitors, especially China and Russia, in the energy sector of Iraq and the region is one of Washington’s major goals. China has invested heavily in Iraqi energy projects in recent years, especially in the south of the country, and Russia has also been active in Kurdistan through companies such as Rosneft. Washington’s recent agreements with Erbil are a direct response to this influence of geostrategic competitors.
Through its companies' investments in Kurdistan energy sector, the US seeks to limit its rivals geopolitically and at the same time help Erbil send its gas to Europe as a replacement for the Russian gas. So, signing these gas contracts is just one part of a long-term American strategy to maintain its West Asia influence, control energy resources, and check rivals.
This move comes at a time when the US still controls the oil and gas resources of northeastern Syria. The combination of these two positions allows Washington to create an energy axis independent of the central governments in Baghdad and Damascus and use it as a tool for pressure and influence in the political equations of the region.
All in all, gas contracts between Washington and Erbil are not simply an economic cooperation, but also part of a major strategy to control Iraq's strategic resources and contain the growing influence of global rivals in the regional geopolitics. Since energy is both a source of wealth and an instrument of dominance, these contracts are seen as a pressure lever to redefine the power equations in West Asia.
