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Iraqi Federal Court Dismisses Lawsuit against Sudani over Oil Export to Jordan

Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani. (Iraq News Agency)
Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani. (Iraq News Agency)
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Iraqi Federal Court Dismisses Lawsuit against Sudani over Oil Export to Jordan

Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani. (Iraq News Agency)
Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani. (Iraq News Agency)

Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to halt subsidized crude oil exports to Jordan.

The Iraqi judiciary said that the court lacks jurisdiction over the case.

The complaint was filed by nine lawyers against Sudani, regarding “preferential prices” at which Iraq sells its oil to Jordan. The lawyers believe that export operations of this type violate the constitution and are a waste of the country’s resources.

For years, the issue of selling oil to Jordan at preferential rates has faced resistance by some political currents and forces, especially in the Shiite arena. The file has often been used as a pressure card by some political parties against the successive prime ministers.

The lawyers, who filed the case, noted that the government signed an agreement with the Jordanian side in 2021, stipulating the export of 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) at preferential prices of $97 per barrel, compared to the official price in global markets, which was $113. This made Iraq lose about IQD 198 billion monthly (about $1.5 million), they said.

But the court dismissed the case, after challenging the price difference mentioned by the lawyers by relying on the plea submitted by the defendant.

According to the plea, the agreement between Iraq and Jordan does not exceed the limits of the Memorandum of Understanding, and the Federal Court does not have the capacity to review it.

The MoU stipulates that Jordan will import 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) at a discounted rate of $16 per barrel less than the monthly Brent crude rate, to cover quality differentials and transportation costs.

According to Iraqi and Jordanian oil sources, approximately 60 oil tankers cross the border into Jordan through the Trebil border crossing, to supply 10,000 bpd of Kirkuk oil to the Jordanian oil refinery, which constitutes 15 percent of Jordan’s daily oil need. The total Iraqi oil exported to Jordan amounts to about 3.7 million barrels annually.

On a different note, the Ministry of Oil announced on Sunday the signing of a gas investment and processing contract in the Nahr Bin Omar field, in the south of Basra governorate.

The Ministry stated that the contract was concluded between the South Gas Company and the Halfaya Gas Company Limited.

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Arab World

Iraq's Kurds Caught Between Washington and Tehran

An Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) inspects the damage sustained at the Azadi Camp of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), in the east of Erbil district in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)
An Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) inspects the damage sustained at the Azadi Camp of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), in the east of Erbil district in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)
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Iraq's Kurds Caught Between Washington and Tehran

An Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) inspects the damage sustained at the Azadi Camp of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), in the east of Erbil district in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)
An Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) inspects the damage sustained at the Azadi Camp of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), in the east of Erbil district in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)

Despite repeated pledges by Kurdish leaders in Iraq’s Kurdistan region to remain neutral in the war between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, their territory has come under near-daily attacks from Iran or Tehran-aligned armed factions in Iraq.

The attacks have left Kurdish leaders facing what one Kurdish official described as an “existential dilemma,” particularly as they coincide with US pressure to open a military front in western Iran in cooperation with Iranian Kurdish opposition parties.

In recent days, US media reported that President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Kurdish leaders Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani, urging them to “assist the Iranian Kurdish opposition” participating in the conflict. According to those reports, the two leaders expressed reservations.

Iran has long viewed Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraq’s Kurdistan region with suspicion. In September 2023, Baghdad and Tehran signed a security agreement requiring the disarmament of those groups, the closure of their headquarters and their relocation away from the shared border. Iran had previously launched several attacks on their positions.

By Saturday, the Kurdistan region had faced 100 missile and drone attacks carried out by Iran and allied Iraqi factions.

A headquarters of the Peshmerga, the region’s guard forces, in Sulaimaniyah came under a drone attack late on Friday that was shot down by ground defenses. The Iran-aligned group Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed responsibility.

Bridge, not battlefield

Reiterating Kurdish pledges to stay out of the war, Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, restated the position in an interview with Fox News on Friday.

“Kurdistan needs to be a bridge, not a battlefield,” he said.

According to Talabani, the Kurds are in a unique position, as they are close allies of the US and at the same time neighbors of Iran. The Kurds can play a role in de-escalation when the time comes, he added.

Talabani said he currently sees a weaker Iranian regime, but added that its institutions remain intact despite differences with those in Kurdistan.

When the military objectives are achieved, diplomacy will begin, he said.

Talabani also described his call with Trump, saying the US president was very kind and very polite.

Talabani did not detail what the US president asked of Kurdish leaders, but said he understood that protecting civilians in Iraq was a priority and that Kurds in Iran deserve better treatment.

‘Existential dilemma’

A senior Kurdish official, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, described the situation as an “existential Kurdish dilemma.”

“Kurds often find themselves facing the same complex circumstances in conflicts across Iraq and the wider Middle East,” he said.

Today, he added, they face renewed fears about what might come next, especially as the Kurdistan region remains fragile because of internal divisions, disputes with Baghdad and hostility from Iran-aligned factions.

“Most Kurds hope the situation of their Iranian Kurdish brothers will improve, but they cannot offer meaningful assistance,” the official said. “The situation is extremely complicated, and involvement could turn into a real catastrophe for Kurdistan.”

He added that Kurdish experiences with the United States “have not been entirely encouraging,” noting that Washington recently abandoned Kurdish allies in Syria.

“Any Kurdish gamble in Iran will later backfire on Iraqi Kurdistan, especially if Washington eventually reaches some kind of settlement with Tehran,” he said.

The official also warned that the Kurdistan region is surrounded by hostile forces that could become even more antagonistic if it becomes involved in the war.

“Türkiye to the north will not allow the Iraqi Kurdistan model to be repeated in Iran,” he said.

“To the south we have the Iraqi government and Iran-aligned factions. If those factions overcome the consequences of the current war, they will vent their anger on us. I would not rule out an invasion of the region.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani discussed the latest security developments in a phone call on Friday with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, according to a government statement.

Both sides reaffirmed their rejection of attacks targeting Iraqi cities, including those in the Kurdistan region, and stressed that Iraqi territory should not be used as a launchpad for attacks on neighboring countries, while supporting steps aimed at strengthening security and stability in the region.

Arab World

Salam to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Refuse to Tie Lebanon’s Fate to Iran’s Interests

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks to reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut, December 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks to reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut, December 3, 2025. (Reuters)
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Salam to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Refuse to Tie Lebanon’s Fate to Iran’s Interests

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks to reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut, December 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks to reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut, December 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed on Saturday that the state was doing everything possible on the political and diplomatic levels to end Israel’s war on Lebanon and ease its catastrophic impact on the people, especially the displaced.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that diplomatic efforts have not reached their desired results because the situation in Lebanon is being tied to the crises and war in the region.

“We could have avoided being impacted by the conflict were it not for the strategic error committed by Hezbollah by being dragged us into it,” he added.

This been a catastrophe for Lebanon and “the environment that the party claims it wants to protect,” Salam went on to say.

The war has been imposed on all the Lebanese people, he reiterated. “It is not in their interest,” he declared, underscoring the need to end the war.

Moreover, the PM revealed that foreign efforts to end the war are being met with “an extreme hardline position by Israel” and the United States’ preoccupation with the ongoing war.

He said the war was having dangerous repercussions on the security of the Arab Gulf, condemning and questioning Iran’s attacks against countries that have extended their hands in friendship towards it and repeatedly expressed their opposition to war before it erupted.

Salam underlined his government’s determination to implement its latest decisions related to banning Hezbollah’s military and security operations.

The state’s armed forces and judiciary are carrying out their duties to that end, but the war is making implementation more difficult, he said.

On Lebanon’s decision to impose visas on visiting Iranians, the PM explained it was due to intelligence about Iranian Revolutionary Guards operations that could harm Lebanon’s national security.

Lebanon wants the best relations with Iran, state to state, Salam added, while categorically rejecting tying the Lebanese people’s interests to that of another country as has already happened.

On the displacement of the people of the South and Beirut’s southern suburbs, the PM said the government was sparing no effort to ease their suffering and meet their essential needs, such as food and medicine.

This is a major challenge given the state’s limited means, he acknowledged. He added that he was personally overseeing aid efforts.

Meanwhile, France has continued to exert efforts to resolve the crisis. President Emmanuel Macron held telephone talks with President Joseph Aoun for the third time in two days.

His efforts have yet to make any breakthrough, ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The situation needs more time, they revealed, expecting that mid-next week should witness renewed efforts.

Aoun also received a telephone call from Spain’s King Felipe, who expressed Madrid’s solidarity with Beirut.

Earlier on Saturday, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah or "pay ‌a very ‌heavy price." 

"We (ISRAEL) ‌have ⁠no territorial claims ⁠against Lebanon, but we will not accept a situation ⁠where what ‌existed ‌for many ‌years — firing ‌from Lebanese territory toward the State of ‌Israel — is renewed," Katz said in ⁠a ⁠statement.  

"Therefore, we are turning and warning: act and take action before we act even more." 

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon urged Lebanon and Israel to enter talks to negotiate an end hostilities after the outbreak of a renewed Israel-Hezbollah war.  

"As bad as things are today, they are set to get even worse," Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said.  

"Talks between Lebanon and Israel can be the game changer needed to save future generations from going, time and again, through the same nightmare".  

In December, Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives engaged in their first direct talks in decades as part of a meeting of a committee monitoring the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.  

Lebanon was engulfed by the expanding Middle East war on Monday, after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel to avenge the death of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks on Iran. 

Arab World

Israeli Army Warns Remaining Residents of Beirut’s Southern Suburbs to Evacuate

A destroyed building following an Israeli air strike in the Chiyah neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 07 March 2026. (EPA)
A destroyed building following an Israeli air strike in the Chiyah neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 07 March 2026. (EPA)
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Israeli Army Warns Remaining Residents of Beirut’s Southern Suburbs to Evacuate

A destroyed building following an Israeli air strike in the Chiyah neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 07 March 2026. (EPA)
A destroyed building following an Israeli air strike in the Chiyah neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 07 March 2026. (EPA)

The Israeli military on Saturday warned the remaining residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway, to evacuate immediately.

"Urgent warning to residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, especially those who have not yet evacuated the area. We reiterate -- save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately," Arabic-language spokesman for the military Avichay Adraee said on X.

Tens of thousands of residents have fled the suburbs, known as Dahieh in Arabic, since Israel first issued an evacuation warning on Thursday ahead of its strikes.

Lebanon's social affairs minister said on Saturday that 454,000 people had been registered as displaced since the outbreak of the new war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In a press briefing, Haneen Sayed said that the total number of people who registered their names on a website affiliated with the ministry reached 454,000, including 112,525 people registered in government shelters.

Sayed urged remaining displaced people to register their names with the authorities, with Israel this week having warned residents of Beirut's densely populated southern suburbs and hundreds of square kilometers of southern Lebanon to evacuate.