Is LNG en route to Iraq? Opec+ member Iraq inked a preliminary agreement with Qatar and Oman to receive an unspecified amount of LNG by summer 2026, Zawya quotes Iraqi Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa as saying. The move comes as Iraq aims to boost its gas supply — with the two Gulf nations supplying it with LNG until Iraq’s gas production becomes sufficient, Mousa added.

Take that, Washington: The decision comes after Washington objected to giving the go-ahead to Iraq to uptake 20 mn cbm of Turkmen gas per day through a swap agreement — held up since last October when it was inked. The agreement’s execution is still pending as the US is concerned that the transit mechanism through Iran may violate international sanctions.

No giving up until gas is acquired: Iraq is mulling over other options to acquire gas, with the country awarding a contract to US-based firm Excelerate Energy to set up an offshore floating LNG import terminal in Umm Qasr port and other unnamed southern Iraqi ports. No timeline has been disclosed for contract finalization and implementation.

Lots of trade troubles for Iraq: The US abrogated a waiver in March to allow Iraq to import Iranian electricity, undermining Iraq’s power output, which relies on electricity and natural gas imports, as Iraq needs 40 GW to keep the lights on throughout the day.

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