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Iraq Approves Framework Agreement to Install Basra-Aqaba Oil Pipeline

A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
    Amman, Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Iraq Approves Framework Agreement to Install Basra-Aqaba Oil Pipeline

A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)

The Iraqi cabinet approved the framework agreement for the project to install a pipeline to transfer Iraqi crude oil from Basra to Jordan’s Aqaba port on the Red Sea.

Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh said his Iraqi counterpart Ihsan Abdul Jabbar informed him of the cabinet’s decision in a phone call and commissioned him to complete the procedures to sign the agreement, al-Mamlaka TV reported.

Kharabsheh and Abdul Jabbar agreed to direct the technical and legal teams to proceed with the necessary steps to sign the agreement.

They further agreed on the importance of building on the outcomes of the fourth trilateral Jordanian-Iraqi-Egyptian summit, which was held in June in Baghdad with the participation of King Abdullah, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and Sisi.

The project is in line with efforts to bolster bilateral ties and expand cooperation to serve mutual interests by opening a new hub for exporting Iraqi oil.

Under the agreement, Jordan can buy up to 150,000 oil barrels daily to be refined at the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company in Zarqa city.

The total cost of the project ranges between seven and nine billion dollars, according to Iraqi estimations.

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9 EU Countries Call for Talks on Ending Trade with Israeli Settlements

Israeli soldiers take aim during a raid in the old town of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Israeli soldiers take aim during a raid in the old town of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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9 EU Countries Call for Talks on Ending Trade with Israeli Settlements

Israeli soldiers take aim during a raid in the old town of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Israeli soldiers take aim during a raid in the old town of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Nine European Union countries have called on the European Commission to come up with proposals on how to discontinue EU trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The letter, addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, was signed by foreign ministers from Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting about a third of its total goods trade. Two-way goods trade between the bloc and Israel stood at 42.6 billion euros ($48.91 billion) last year, though it was unclear how much of that trade involved settlements.

The ministers pointed to a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal. It said states should take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that help maintain the situation.

"We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements," the ministers wrote.

"We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court," they added.

Israel's diplomatic mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Europe must ensure trade policy is in line with international law.

"Trade cannot be disconnected from our legal and moral responsibilities," the minister said in a statement to Reuters.

"This is about ensuring that EU policies do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of an illegal situation," he said.

The ministers' letter comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels on June 23 where EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the bloc's relationship with Israel.

Ministers are expected to receive an assessment on whether Israel is complying with a human rights clause in a pact governing its political and economic ties with Europe, after the bloc decided to review Israel's adherence to the agreement due to the situation in Gaza.