US Mediator in Lebanon-Israel Maritime Talks to Arrive in Beirut this Week

US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 1, 2022. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 1, 2022. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
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US Mediator in Lebanon-Israel Maritime Talks to Arrive in Beirut this Week

US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 1, 2022. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 1, 2022. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

Amos Hochstein, the US diplomat mediating talks between Lebanon and Israel over their shared maritime border, will be in Beirut at the end of the week, a statement from Lebanon’s presidential palace said on Sunday.

The statement said Hochstein would be in Lebanon to follow up on discussions with the Lebanese side on the delineation, without providing more details.

Hochstein was last in Beirut in late July for meetings with Lebanese officials.

At the time, a senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Hochstein would present a new Israeli proposal that "includes a solution that would allow the Lebanese to develop the gas reserves in the disputed area while preserving Israel's commercial rights".

A Lebanese official said the proposal would allow Lebanon to explore the entire Qana Prospect, an area with the potential to hold hydrocarbons which crosses beyond Line 23, a maritime line that was originally Lebanon's demand during negotiations.

Hochstein told local broadcaster LBCI after that trip that he expected exploration would move forward in the area once the companies involved had the "legal and diplomatic certainty" that would result from a deal.

"I remain optimistic that we can make continuous progress as we have over the last several weeks and I look forward to being able to come back to the region to make the final arrangement," Hochstein said.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.