Tishwash: US allows Iranian oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz to maintain global supply: Treasury secretary
The US is allowing Iranian oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz in order to maintain global oil supplies, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday, Anadolu reports.
“The Iranian ships have been getting out already, and we’ve let that happen to supply the rest of the world,” Bessent told CNBC, adding that tankers supplying India had already made the crossing and that some Chinese vessels were also believed to be getting through.
Bessent said the administration expected tanker traffic through the strait to increase further before the US Navy and allied forces begin escorting commercial ships through the waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to regular commercial shipping since early March amid Iranian retaliatory strikes as US-Israeli strikes continue.
Around 20 million barrels of oil pass through the waterway daily, and disruptions have pushed global oil prices up, raising concerns about energy supplies and food prices. link
Tishwash: Agreement to postpone government formation: “cautious waiting” and a temporary government until the war ends
Well-informed political sources revealed on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) that there is what they described as a “near agreement” among major political forces to postpone the completion of procedures for forming the new Iraqi government until the course and repercussions of the ongoing military conflict between Iran, the United States, and Israel become clear, amid growing fears of the repercussions of regional escalation on the Iraqi interior.
Sources told Baghdad Today that “unannounced consultations took place during the past few days between the leaders of prominent political blocs, which concluded that it is necessary to adopt a policy of cautious waiting, in order to avoid forming a government that may face complex security and economic challenges in the event of an expansion of the scope of military confrontation in the region.”
She explained that “a number of political parties believe that the current stage requires a transitional government with limited powers or a continuation of temporary caretaker government until the regional scene stabilizes, especially with the possibility of Iraq being directly affected by military developments due to its geographical location and the entanglement of its political and economic interests with the parties to the conflict.”
The sources added that “internal disputes have not been fully resolved yet, but the regional factor has become an additional pressure that has prompted some forces to reassess their political priorities and focus on maintaining security stability and avoiding political division during the period of tension.”
While the region is ablaze with cross-border conflicts and escalating regional tensions, the Iraqi scene seems to be moving at a different pace, governed less by the results of the war than by deep internal disputes that extend from the Coordination Framework to the Kurdish forces, hindering the identification of both the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic.
With no real signs of resolution, fears are growing that the political waiting will become a permanent state, making the formation of the next government a task postponed indefinitely.
Political sources confirm that there is no specific timeframe for forming the next government, indicating that the disputes between the Coordination Framework and the Kurdish forces remain unresolved, while emphasizing that the delay in forming the government is related to internal problems and not to the results of the ongoing war in the region. link
************
Tishwash: A march targeting the US embassy in Baghdad
The US embassy in Baghdad was attacked by a drone early Saturday morning, according to an Iraqi security official who spoke to AFP, as reported by Al-Sa’a Network.
The official, who asked not to be named, said that “a drone hit the embassy,” while another security source confirmed that “the attack targeted the diplomatic compound in the Green Zone.”
This targeting comes in the context of the war that broke out on February 28 between the United States and the Israeli occupation on one side and Iran on the other, the repercussions of which have extended to several countries in the region .
Earlier, the US Embassy in Baghdad warned its citizens in Iraq of increasing security risks, calling for caution and urging them to avoid places that could make them potential targets for attacks .
The embassy confirmed that Iran and its allied armed groups continue to pose a threat to American interests in Iraq, noting that American sites, companies, and hotels frequented by foreigners have been attacked in the past .
It also urged American citizens to review their personal security situations, noting that leaving Iraq as soon as possible, when it is safe to do so, may be the best option for many given the ongoing tensions in the region link
Tishwash: For security reasons, British Petroleum (BP) is withdrawing its staff from Kirkuk oil projects.
Sources in the Iraqi state-owned North Oil Company revealed on Monday that the British company BP had withdrawn a number of its foreign employees working on oil field development projects in Kirkuk, due to security tensions and the repercussions of the war in the region.
Sources told Shafaq News Agency that the company informed the Ministry of Oil and the North Oil Company of its decision to withdraw foreign employees working within the technical and advisory support teams in oil field development projects, explaining that the step came as a precautionary measure to protect its staff in light of recent security developments.
She added that the decision does not mean canceling or terminating the contract concluded between the two parties, but rather represents a temporary measure until the security situation is assessed, noting that some field work may be partially affected due to the absence of foreign technical teams that supervise specialized aspects of the development operations.
The sources indicated that the cooperation between the North Oil Company and BP (British Petroleum) aims to implement an integrated program to develop a number of oil fields in Kirkuk Governorate, raise production rates and improve the infrastructure of the production and transportation system, thereby enhancing the technical efficiency of the old fields, which are among the most prominent oil fields in Iraq.
She explained that the current production of the North Oil Company is about 325,000 barrels per day from the fields located within its administration in Kirkuk and the surrounding areas, while development plans aim to gradually increase these quantities during the coming years by improving the management of oil reservoirs and developing the infrastructure of the fields.
The Kirkuk fields are among the oldest and largest oil fields in Iraq, containing major reservoirs including the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields. In recent years, they have faced technical and security challenges that have affected production levels, prompting the Ministry of Oil to seek the assistance of international companies to rehabilitate them and increase their production capacity.
In this context, oil expert Ali Khalil told Shafaq News Agency that the cooperation agreement with BP represents one of the important projects within the Kirkuk fields development plan, noting that the British company has extensive technical experience in managing giant fields and enhancing production.
He added that the agreement falls within the framework of technical and advisory cooperation contracts aimed at reassessing oil reservoirs and developing advanced plans to increase production and improve the management of oil reservoirs, using modern technologies to improve oil extraction and address accumulated technical problems in the fields.
Khalil pointed out that the withdrawal of foreign employees at the moment does not mean the project will stop completely, but it may lead to a slowdown in some technical work that requires direct supervision from the foreign company’s experts, especially with regard to advanced geological studies and reservoir development programs.
He explained that international companies usually take precautionary measures in cases of security tension or escalating risks in work areas to protect their employees and reduce operational risks, stressing that such decisions are often temporary until the situation stabilizes.
He stressed that continued cooperation between the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and international companies is an important factor in developing the country’s energy sector, noting that the Kirkuk oil fields need significant investments and advanced technologies to rehabilitate them and make the most of their oil reserves.
He pointed out that any delay in implementing development programs could affect plans to increase production in the near term, but he stressed at the same time that Iraq has technical personnel capable of continuing to work in the fields until the foreign teams return and full technical cooperation is resumed.
The Ministry of Oil seeks to increase the production capacity of the northern fields as part of its strategic plans to boost oil production and increase exports, given the great economic importance of the Kirkuk fields to the country’s energy sector. link
