While the US embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday denounced recent drone attacks, including ones that hit “critical infrastructure” across the country, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomed the operations of American companies in Iraq, particularly in the oil sector.
Al-Sudani spoke following a meeting with Matthew Zais, Vice President of the American oil company HKN Energy, in the presence of the US Chargé d’Affaires in Iraq.
The two sides signed a memorandum of principles to invest in the Hamrin oil fields, with the aim of reaching promising development frameworks to optimize their exploitation.
Baghdad and Washington share a complex relationship as the two sides have different perspectives on many issues, including armed factions, reconstruction, the future of the Popular Mobilization Forces and Baghdad's relationship with Tehran.
On Tuesday, as the Iraqi Oil Minister was signing an understanding with HKN Energy, the US embassy in Baghdad issued a statement denouncing recent drone attacks in Iraq, including ones that hit oil fields in the autonomous Kurdistan region.
Last month, drone strikes targeted radar systems at two military bases near Baghdad and in southern Iraq. The attacks are believed to be launched by armed militias loyal to Iran.
In its statement, the US embassy said: “The United States condemns the recent drone attacks throughout Iraq, including the July 14 and July 15 drone attacks on critical infrastructure at the Khormala and Sarsang oil fields in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”
It urged the Iraqi government to exercise its authority to prevent armed actors from launching these attacks against sites within its own territory, including locations where Iraqi and international companies have invested in Iraq's future.
“These attacks are unacceptable, undermine Iraq's sovereignty, and hurt Iraq's efforts to attract foreign investment. We urge the Government of Iraq to investigate who is behind these attacks and hold them accountable,” the statement noted.
In a similar statement, the US Consulate General in Erbil also strongly condemned the recent drone attacks, calling the assaults a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a threat to the country’s economic stability.
Despite the official Iraqi condemnations and the government’s efforts to investigate the drone attacks, observers say Baghdad is too weak to prevent militias from attacking several military sites and bases at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and in the southern Nasiriyah city.
“The Iraqi government does not seek to open a decisive battle with the factions,” according to a source close to the forces of the Coordination Framework.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat published on Monday, Al-Sudani commented on the drone attacks in Baghdad and Nasiriyah saying there is an investigation by a specialized technical committee.
“I am closely following this probe. It was a clear attack using drones. As you know, it's not easy to detect these aircraft. Today, this technology is used in attacks and to create instability. But this matter will definitely not pass without consequences.”
On Tuesday, the drone attack halted production at the Sarsang oilfield in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
Ghias Sorchi, a leading member at the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) urged parties to wait for the results of the investigations.
He noted that “those involved in the attacks do not want stability in the region, and if they are known, we will sue them in Baghdad and in international forums.”
However, Dr. Firas Elias, a professor of International Relations at the University of Mosul, said the drone attacks on vital oil and gas sites in the Kurdistan Region carries a political dimension due to the escalating disputes between Baghdad and Erbil over key issues, most notably the salaries of the Region’s civil servants.
“The drone attacks came as Erbil hinted it could withdraw from the political process, which means more problems with Baghdad and less potential to solve conflicting issues, especially with regard to the oil file in general and the issue of salaries,” Elias said.
Last May, tensions were high between Erbil and Baghdad after Iraq’s Federal Finance Minister, Taif Sami, ordered the suspension of salary payments to employees in the Kurdistan Region.
Elias said every time Erbil tries to increase its pressure on Baghdad, such attacks will escalate.
