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ERBIL — The Kurdistan Region’s Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, Safeen Dizayee, on Monday reaffirmed the Region’s commitment to strengthening relations with China and welcomed Beijing’s growing investment interests.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 24th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition at Salahaddin University in Erbil, Dizayee emphasized the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation.

“It is very important to develop our relations with China in all fields. We must maintain our friendship with that country,” he stated.

“We welcome the Chinese Consulate’s initiatives for work and investment in various sectors in the Kurdistan Region and regard them with importance.”

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/885351

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Region’s Acting Minister of Natural Resources announced on Monday that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will resume negotiations with Baghdad and oil companies concerning the restart of oil exports to Turkey after Eid al-Adha.

Kamal Mohammed Salih, the acting minister, told Kurdistan 24 that while talks with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil are ongoing, a new round of discussions will take place following the Muslim holiday.

“After Eid al-Adha, we will restart negotiations with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and oil companies regarding the resumption of Kurdistan’s oil exports,” he confirmed.

According to the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha begins on June 6 and lasts for four days.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/885315

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The head of the Legal Committee in Iraq’s Council of Representatives, Rebwar Hadi, on Sunday denounced the Iraqi Federal Ministry of Finance’s decision to suspend salary transfers to Kurdistan Region employees, calling it “legally baseless and unconstitutional.”

Speaking to reporters on June 1, 2025, Hadi criticized the recent order by Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami, stating that “the decision lacks any constitutional or legal foundation. The salaries of Kurdistan Region employees are unrelated to oil production, revenue distribution, or budget implementation.”

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/843601/iraqi-legal-committee-chair-decries-federal-finance-ministrys-decision-on-kurdistan-salaries-as-unconstitutional

Petroleum graduates in Basra protest joblessness amid oil wealth, corruption, and pollution. Security forces crack down as locals suffer from toxic gas flaring. Calls grow for federal autonomy, with demands shifting from employment to justice and clean air.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/843475/black-gold-broken-promises-basras-youth-demand-justice-amid-oil-profits-and-pollution

Iraq’s Oil Ministry has signed a drilling contract for a field located in the PUK-controlled Kifri district. So far, the KRG and its Ministry of Natural Resources have not issued any official response.

The contract was signed between the Iraqi Drilling Company, the Oil Exploration Company, and the state-owned North Oil Company.

This move comes after KRG PM Masrour Barzani signed two oil and gas contracts with US firms - also involving fields located in PUK-controlled territory.

https://x.com/KurdistanWatch/status/1929149103335784505

#BREAKING: The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court announced it will review a complaint against the Ministry of Finance over its decision to withhold salary payments for Kurdistan Region civil servants, amid escalating tensions between Baghdad and Erbil over oil and non-oil revenue management. The court said a final ruling on the matter is expected soon.

https://x.com/zoomnewskrd/status/1929114688941424992

The visit of the Baghdad delegation — led by one of the most influential figures in Iraq’s post-2003 political order — is seen in Erbil as a long-overdue acknowledgment that the status quo is unsustainable; doubting that change is possible unless Baghdad stops economic pressure and honors rights.

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A senior member of the Hikma Movement announced that a high-level delegation from Baghdad, led by Hadi al-Amiri, will arrive in the Kurdistan Region within 24 hours to meet with top Kurdish leaders and seek solutions to the deepening political and financial disputes. The delegation, operating under the Shiite Coordination Framework, is expected to engage in critical discussions with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leadership on outstanding constitutional, financial, and administrative issues.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/843388/baghdad-delegation-to-visit-kurdistan-amid-mounting-pressure-to-end-financial-oppression

In separate statements issued by their offices respectively, the two leaders emphasize that any resolution must be grounded in the Constitution, the Federal Budget Law, and the Federal Court’s ruling. They also stress the urgent need to pass the long-delayed Oil and Gas Law.

https://x.com/zoomnewskrd/status/1928836609677447605

ERBIL — Forty-three political parties from across the Kurdistan Region convened on Saturday in Pirmam under the supervision of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) Executive Committee to discuss growing tensions with the Iraqi federal government, particularly Baghdad’s controversial decision to suspend salaries of Kurdistan Region employees.

Following the high-level meeting, the parties issued a joint statement strongly condemning the federal Ministry of Finance’s recent move as “unconstitutional and illegal.”

They described the salary cuts as a politically motivated act aimed at undermining the Kurdistan Region’s legal and political status.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/885159

The political party meeting called by the KDP’s Masoud Barzani to address issues with Baghdad was held today, but it was significantly downgraded, with no top leaders in attendance. Key opposition parties boycotted the meeting, and even the PUK only sent lower-ranking members from its 100-member leadership council. Only the minor parties, often referred to colloquially as “political party shops”, chose to attend.

https://x.com/KurdistanWatch/status/1928788194666987779

#BREAKING: The Kurdistan Region’s ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has invited all Kurdish political parties to meet on Saturday to discuss the Iraqi government’s recent decision to withhold salary funds for the Region’s civil servants and to form a unified stance in response, a source familiar with the matter told Zoom News.

https://x.com/zoomnewskrd/status/1928454860598386900

Oil production in the Kurdistan Region now averages over 300,000 barrels per day, according to financial reports from the companies operating the oilfields, despite the continued halt of the KRG oil pipeline.

At present, about 150,000 barrels per day are believed to be exported to Turkey, reversing last year’s trend when Iran was the primary destination. Now, half of this amount, nearly 75,000 barrels, moves east toward Iran, while the rest is believed to be consumed locally.

https://x.com/NatlContext/status/1928442181888729192

The reaction of the opposition in Kurdistan to Baghdad’s decision to halt public employee salaries is noteworthy, as it reflects partial agreement with both the KRG and the Iraqi government:

The opposition acknowledges that Baghdad’s move is a political decision that unfairly punishes employees. At the same time, they agree that the KDP and PUK are pocketing the KRG oil revenues instead of returning them to the regional treasury or handing them over to SOMO, as required by the federal budget law. They argue that instead of stopping the smuggling of KRG oil, Baghdad is punishing powerless public employees who are caught in the middle of the Erbil–Baghdad dispute.

Baghdad’s decision to cut salaries has also begun to erode some of the public sympathy it had been gaining among the region’s civil servants.

https://x.com/KurdistanWatch/status/1928445930690474491

Note: Dr Hamdi Elias Sinjari is a writer of this article and the Deputy Head of Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).

Iraq’s economy relies on oil as a primary source of revenue, the absence of a federal law to regulate the management of this vital resource represents one of the largest legislative gaps in modern Iraq. Since the adoption of the Constitution in 2005, the division of powers between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region has been a subject of broad legal and political contention—exacerbating crises, stalling investment opportunities, and eroding trust among national partners. This article addresses the constitutional and practical aspects of the suspended Oil and Gas Law and highlights its implications for Iraq’s present and future.

Once again, disputes are reigniting tensions—this time triggered by recent contracts signed by the Kurdistan Region with two American companies in the gas sector. The Federal Ministry of Oil didn’t wait for the Kurdish delegation to return from Washington before raising concerns over the contracts and their economic viability, which initial reports in specialized outlets estimate may involve over $110 billion in joint investments in both conventional and renewable energy infrastructure.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/884961

What’s interesting about the KRG statement is that it doesn’t mention, even once, what is happening to the KRG oil revenues. Why are billions of $ from oil vanishing (oil that is the people’s rightful natural resource)? Why hasn’t the money been returned to the KRG treasury?

https://x.com/KurdistanWatch/status/1928397790389878877

A shadowy shell entity owned by KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani controls the lion’s share—around 70%—of the KRG crude oil that is supposedly sold on the local market, generating massive profits on a daily basis.

Rather than being traded through open markets, KRG crude is allocated to a small circle of politically connected buyers at heavily discounted prices—typically between $28 and $32 per barrel, far below international benchmarks.

The largest share—around 200,000 barrels per day—goes to a front company named Business Unicorn, a shadow entity linked to North Light Holding, which is owned by KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and is estimated to generate $140–145 million monthly, based on margins from both crude exports and refined product sales.

In recent months, North Light has begun registering a series of inactive shell companies, believed to be designed as disposable legal vehicles that shield financial activity from scrutiny. The holding’s CEO, Sarwar Pedawi, is widely regarded as a key business proxy for the prime minister.

https://x.com/KurdistanWatch/status/1928401886123528566

KDP Warns of ‘Serious Response’ if Kurdish Salaries Aren’t Paid Before Eid

The KDP confirmed that the matter will be addressed during its Central Committee’s upcoming meeting scheduled for the upcoming Monday, stating: “If the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements are not transferred before Eid al-Adha, we will adopt a serious position and announce it publicly.”

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/843111/kdp-warns-of-serious-response-if-kurdish-salaries-arent-paid-before-eid

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government are in “serious talks” to resolve the ongoing dispute over energy deals signed by Erbil with American oil and gas companies, a senior source at the Iraqi oil ministry told Rudaw English on Thursday, stressing that the issue “must be resolved” to establish a framework for future cooperation on this “national dossier.”

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/29052025

In a strongly worded statement responding to the Iraqi Ministry of Finance, the KDP accused Baghdad of repeatedly violating the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional rights and labeled the Finance Ministry’s decision to withhold salaries as a politically motivated act of discrimination against the Kurdish people.

https://x.com/zoomnewskrd/status/1928070085400265087

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is preparing a detailed written response after Iraq’s finance minister announced a halt to salary payments for public employees in the Kurdistan Region, a move which violates prior agreements and a Federal Supreme Court ruling.

“The letter issued by the Federal Finance Ministry is misleading,” a source in the KRG’s Ministry of Finance and Economy told BasNews. “We were preparing answers and letters until late last night. The response will be supported by accurate data and shared with the public.”

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/884947