The Ministry of Oil responded to a letter from some members of the US Congress to President Joe Biden regarding allegations and slanders related to the Iraqi oil sector.
The Ministry of Oil said in a statement that “first of all, everything that was said in the letter is not truth, and the only correct thing is what was stated in the text that they are (allegations) and do not amount to information.”
It indicated that “Iraq is committed to the highest standards of transparency regarding oil production and export, and all data related to this is published regularly and in detail through official channels, and the Ministry of Oil only deals with a number of solid international companies, including American companies in the fields of production and marketing, and it has strong relations and partnerships with those companies that extend for decades in investing in oil fields in various regions of Iraq and standard contracts according to international transparency standards in marketing Iraqi crude oil.”
It poi
nted out that “what was said in the letter regarding Iraq’s role in helping Iran evade sanctions is also just allegations and fabrications that have no basis in truth. Iraq deals with Iran in the energy sector and imports gas and electricity in coordination and understanding with friends in the United States and under the sun with transparent and announced contracts, whether for imports or for paying the Iranian side’s dues. Iraq respects its international obligations and is committed to international law and builds its relations with neighboring countries and other countries on the basis of respect and mutual interests consistent with international laws and far from participating in any activity that violates them.” The ministry expressed its “surprise and disapproval regarding what was stated in the letter about the role of some officials in smuggling oil and manipulating allocations, and we reject these allegations in the name of Iraq in their entirety and challenge the provision of any evidence to support
these allegations. This ministry confirms that, under the leadership of its Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani, it works according to mechanisms of the utmost integrity and transparency. Export operations are carried out through official internationally approved ports, represented by the port of Basra in Iraq and the port of Ceyhan in Turkey, with follow-up and supervision from international institutions (KPLER), which provide accurate data on quantities, quality and tankers. Any party can examine and match the data, and this refutes at the same time the allegations of smuggling Iranian oil and presenting it as Iraqi oil, and also refutes the allegations of mixing and smuggling operations through Iraqi oil ports, all oil movements and activities in which are subject to the supervision of international inspectors contracted with the Ministry of Oil.”
It noted that “Iraqi territorial waters are held firmly and under strict control by the Iraqi naval forces. Iraq is not responsible for what might happen outside its ter
ritorial waters, as Iraqi oil contracts are organized on a FOB basis and the responsibility of the Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) ends once the oil is loaded onto the tanker.”
The statement continued, “As for the allegations of linking oil and the dollar in favor of Iran, Iraq is one of the countries most committed to international regulations governing oil and currency trade, and we deny the existence of any secret or illegal transactions that enable others to circumvent Iraq, and it is known and announced that all oil revenues are made through the US Federal Reserve.”
The Ministry of Oil expressed surprise at “the repetition of these allegations from time to time, often with the approach of each visit by a senior Iraqi official to the United States of America, as if the one who writes them is not happy with the establishment of strong relations and cooperation between two friendly countries linked by an important framework agreement covering all fields.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency