Opposition to the Construction of the Kirkuk Oil Pipeline to Iran

A few days after the agreement between Baghdad and Tehran to begin a feasibility study for the construction of a pipeline to transfer oil from the Kirkuk region to Iran, Delshad Shaban, the Vice Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee of the Kurdistan Parliament, has described this project as a violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran and an obstruction by Iraq and Iran ahead of the independence referendum of the Kurdistan region. The initial memorandum for the construction of the Kirkuk oil pipeline to Iran was signed last winter, and at that time, Arshad Salehi, the head of the Turkmen Front of Iraq and representative of Kirkuk in the Iraqi Parliament, called the signing of this memorandum unexpected and protested against it. The pipeline is intended to transit oil from the Kirkuk region, part of which is managed by the central Iraqi government and the other part by the Kurdistan region, through Iranian territory to international markets. In an interview with the newspaper 'Asharq Al-Awsat', Delshad Shaban stated that the formation of a joint committee between Iran and the central Iraqi government to study this pipeline is a violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran, and he claims that Tehran and Baghdad have long been working to create more legal obstacles regarding the status of the Kirkuk region following the referendum in the Kurdistan region. He added: 'The question is whether after the implementation of the oil pipeline project, Kirkuk will still remain under the control of the central Iraqi government?' The independence referendum for the Kurdistan region from Iraq is scheduled for September 25. According to Mr. Shaban, Baghdad and Tehran have not informed the Kurdistan region officials about this project and should have done so beforehand. He further stated that 'the oil fields of Kirkuk are divided into two blocks: the Havana and Bai Hassan fields, which are under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and three other fields controlled by the North Oil Company affiliated with the central Iraqi government. If Iraq completes the oil pipeline project with Iran, the oil from the fields under the control of the Kurdistan region will not be transferred through this route.' Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Iran's Minister of Oil, announced on July 30 during a meeting with Jabbar al-Luiebi, his Iraqi counterpart, that an agreement had been reached with the Baghdad government on several oil projects, including the initiation of the study for the construction of the Kirkuk pipeline. Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the referendum in the Kurdistan region. In this context, Iran opposed the installation of the Kurdistan region's flag in the city of Kirkuk, reiterating its response to the Kurdish independence referendum plan, stating that it has 'destructive effects.' Iran has bombarded parts of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and the autonomous Kurdistan government summoned the Iranian consul. Barzani stated that the efforts to create an independent Kurdistan are irreversible.