Iraq has blacklisted three crude tankers from Kurdistan

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The Iraqi State Organization for the Marketing of Oil (SOMO) has blacklisted three tankers shipping crude oil from Kurdistan. Reuters explains that by doing this the country’s government is increasing its pressure on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The Kurdistan Regional Government accused the government of Iraq of failing to comply with the terms of a previous revenue-sharing deal. After that Kurdistan has been exporting about 500,000 barrels of oil through Turkey since the middle of the previous year. Baghdad in its turn states that the KRG had not exported enough crude oil to earn the revenues according to the conditions of the deal.

The State Organization for the Marketing of Oil has already banned crude tankers from docking Iraqi ports but has stopped the practice a few months ago till the recent events.

Iraq’s new Oil Minister, Jabar Ali al-Luaibi, told earlier this month that he believes the disagreement between KRG and the Iraqi government can be solved. But still the country’s officials keep on tightening the screws on the KRG.