Latest news with #Kurdistan
SBS Australia
6 hours ago
- General
- SBS Australia
"The Ezidi community is self-reliant and successful in toowoomba"
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Kurdish-speaking Australians. SBS World News Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service Watch now
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Iraq says oil exports unaffected by war
Iraq said on Wednesday its oil exports are flowing normally through Hormuz Straits despite the escalating mutual attacks between nearby Iran and Israel. Most of the crude exports by OPEC's second largest oil producer pass through Hormuz, which Iran has frequently threatened to block over the past years. Iraq produced just over four million barrels per day (bpd) in May and exported nearly 3.3 million bpd, mostly to China and India, according to the Iraqi Oil Ministry. 'Iraq's oil exports have not been affected by the conflict between Iran and Israel…I don't think they will be affected because they are far from the centre of the hostilities…Iraq's oil exports are still flowing out normally,' said Shada Al-Izzawi, a member of Iraqi parliament's oil and gas committee. 'The attacks by two countries against each other have not yet affected any oil site or export terminal in Iraq,' she told the official daily Alsabah. Izzawi did not make clear how Iraq will continue to export crude to the global market if Iran carries out its threat and shut Hormuz, a strategic narrow water way through which more than 18 million bpd pass, nearly a fifth of the world's oil consumption. But an Iraqi oil analyst said the Iran-Israel conflict should prompt Baghdad to reach agreement with the northern Kurdistan region to re-open the 970-km Kurkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which has an export capacity of nearly 400,000 bpd. 'Iraq should intensify efforts to reopen the Cayman pipeline to export an additional 400,000 through Turkey…this will give Iraq's crude exports more flexibility in case the conflict in the regional escalates further,' said Nabil Al-Marsoumi, an energy and economics professor at Basra university in South Iraq. Another well-known Iraqi expert, Hilal Al-Taan, told Shafaq news agency that Iraq's crude exports could be virtually come to a standstill if Hormuz is shut. (Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Israel-Iran conflict: Iranians buying supplies in Iraq tell of fear, shortages back home
Near the once-bustling Iraqi border crossing of Bashmakh, Iranian driver Fatah stocked up on rice, sugar and tea, staples that have become increasingly hard to get back home. Fatah — who like others in this story is being identified by a pseudonym — was among dozens of truck drivers waiting impatiently to cross back into Iran from Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, hauling not only their commercial cargo, but also essential goods for their families after days of Israeli attacks. AFP spoke with at least 30 Iranians near the Bashmakh crossing. They all refused to be interviewed on camera, and the few who agreed to describe life back home asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals back in Iran. "There are shortages of rice, bread, sugar and tea," Fatah said on Tuesday. Finding fuel has also become a major problem, with long queues of cars waiting hours in front of gas stations hoping the fuel did not run out, the 40-year-old driver added. A long journey awaits Fatah, who must deliver his load of asphalt to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas about 1,700 kilometres away, before turning around and driving almost the same distance back to the western city of Marivan, where his family lives and which has so far been spared bombardment. But "my route passes near the Natanz nuclear facility", Fatah said, referring to one of Iran's underground uranium enrichment sites that Israel has struck several times since the start of its campaign last week. Panic buying Israel launched a devastating surprise attack on Friday targeting Iran's military and nuclear sites and killing top commanders and scientists. Israel says its attacks are aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran denies. At least 224 people, including women and children, have been killed in the Israeli strikes, according to official figures. The assault has prompted retaliatory barrages of missiles from Iran that have killed at least 24 people in Israel, according to the prime minister's office. Aram, 28, keeps calling his wife, fearing for his family's safety after they had to flee their home when a strike hit a military site nearby in the city of Sanandaj. "My family is safe, but they had to move in with relatives in a village," Aram said. His wife told him that many families who lived near military sites in the area had been similarly displaced. The father of two said the shortages back home were mostly due to panic-stricken Iranians who rushed to markets to stockpile basic supplies. 'Shocked and distraught' Back in Iran, car dealer Shwan recalled how Israeli jets struck several military sites near his city of Bukan in the west. "People are shocked and distraught, they don't know what they should do," the 35-year-old told AFP via a messaging app from inside Iran. "We have a major problem with bread shortages," he said. People were queuing at bakeries for hours to get loaves of bread, sometimes to no avail, Shwan said. "Sometimes four members of one family go around bakeries looking for bread," he added. "It is also difficult to find rice or oil," and many civil servants have not received their salaries yet, he said. Avin, a 38-year-old seamstress, told AFP via a messaging app that the war "has spread fear among residents", even though the bombs have not touched her town of Saqqez in northwest Iran. "Some families with children left to villages outside the city," she said. Like others, she fears more shortages to come. "Most of the provisions come from Tehran," which has seen a massive exodus and is also grappling with scarcity. "Because of this, the market in our city came to a standstill."
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Iranians buying supplies in Iraq tell of fear, shortages back home
PENJWEN, Iraq: Near the once-bustling Iraqi border crossing of Bashmakh, Iranian driver Fatah stocked up on rice, sugar and tea, staples that have become increasingly hard to get back home. Fatah — who like others in this story is being identified by a pseudonym — was among dozens of truck drivers waiting impatiently to cross back into Iran from Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, hauling not only their commercial cargo, but also essential goods for their families after days of Israeli attacks. AFP spoke with at least 30 Iranians near the Bashmakh crossing. They all refused to be interviewed on camera, and the few who agreed to describe life back home asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals back in Iran. 'There are shortages of rice, bread, sugar and tea,' Fatah said Tuesday. Finding fuel has also become a major problem, with long queues of cars waiting hours in front of gas stations hoping the fuel did not run out, the 40-year-old driver added. A long journey awaits Fatah, who must deliver his load of asphalt to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas about 1,700 kilometers (1,060 miles) away, before turning around and driving almost the same distance back to the western city of Marivan, where his family lives and which has so far been spared bombardment. But 'my route passes near the Natanz nuclear facility,' Fatah said, referring to one of Iran's underground uranium enrichment sites that Israel has struck several times since the start of its campaign last week. Surprise attack Israel launched a devastating surprise attack on Friday targeting Iran's military and nuclear sites and killing top commanders and scientists. Israel says its attacks are aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran denies. At least 224 people, including women and children, have been killed in the Israeli strikes, according to official figures. The assault has prompted retaliatory barrages of missiles from Iran that have killed at least 24 people in Israel, according to the prime minister's office. Aram, 28, keeps calling his wife, fearing for his family's safety after they had to flee their home when a strike hit a military site nearby in the city of Sanandaj. 'My family is safe, but they had to move in with relatives in a village,' Aram said. His wife told him that many families who lived near military sites in the area had been similarly displaced. The father of two said the shortages back home were mostly due to panic-stricken Iranians who rushed to markets to stockpile basic supplies. Fear of shortages mounts Back in Iran, car dealer Shwan recalled how Israeli jets struck several military sites near his city of Bukan in the west. 'People are shocked and distraught, they don't know what they should do,' the 35-year-old told AFP via a messaging app from inside Iran. 'We have a major problem with bread shortages,' he said. People were queuing at bakeries for hours to get loaves of bread, sometimes to no avail, Shwan said. 'Sometimes four members of one family go around bakeries looking for bread,' he added. 'It is also difficult to find rice or oil,' and many civil servants have not received their salaries yet, he said. Avin, a 38-year-old seamstress, told AFP via a messaging app that the war 'has spread fear among residents,' even though the bombs have not touched her town of Saqqez in northwest Iran. 'Some families with children left to villages outside the city,' she said. Like others, she fears more shortages to come. 'Most of the provisions come from Tehran,' which has seen a massive exodus and is also grappling with scarcity. 'Because of this, the market in our city came to a standstill.'
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Iran-backed Iraqi militia threatens to attack Israel and its allies
A Tehran-backed armed faction in Iraq has threatened to join the war between Israel and Iran, heightening concerns that the conflict, now in its fourth day, could spread across the region. The True Promise Corps, part of a shadowy coalition calling itself the Islamic Resistance Iraq, said on Monday that it would launch attacks against Israel and its interests in the region. 'We declare that all the sites and camps of the entity [Israel] and anyone who supports it in the region are targets for us,' its leader, Mohammed Al Tamimi, said in a statement on X. The threat marks a sharp shift in tone by Iran-backed Iraqi militias, who said previously that they would enter the conflict only if US forces based in the country intervened to support Israel. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has previously claimed responsibility for drone and rocket attacks against Israel and US forces in the region over Israel's war in Gaza. Mr Al Tamimi also threatened action against 'Israeli agents' in Iraq. He singled out the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region, Erbil, as a potential target, calling it a hub for 'training agents and spies'. Iran and its Iraqi proxies have long accused the Kurds of hosting a station of Israel's Mossad spy agency in the region. They have launched several attacks on Erbil, including with ballistic missiles launched from Iran. On Sunday, the powerful Kataib Hezbollah group said it was monitoring movements of US troops in the region. 'If America intervenes in the war, we will act without any hesitation against its interests and bases,' the group said. Other Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah Harakat Al Nujabaa, Kata'ib Sayyid Al Shuhada and Asaib Ahl Al Haq have taken the same position. Tehran holds significant sway through political and paramilitary proxies in Iraq, and their involvement in the conflict could destabilise the country's recovery from years of war and sectarian violence. The Iraqi government has asked both Iran and US, its two most important allies, to stop it being caught up in the conflict, Iraqi officials have said. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call on Sunday that 'Iraq is keen to prevent the war from expanding', according to a statement from his office. Mr Pezeshkian 'urged the Iraqi government to take measures to protect its airspace and prevent its territory from being exploited by adversaries', according to an Iranian statement. In a move to alleviate Iranian concerns, Iraq deployed air defence systems in several 'sensitive areas' around the country on Sunday, mainly near the borders with Iran. Iraq has also lodged a formal complaint with the UN Security Council regarding Israel's violation of its airspace after it began attacking Iran on Friday.
