The Ministry of Oil responded to a letter from some members of the US Congress to President Joe Biden regarding allegations and slander regarding the Iraqi oil sector.
The oil company said in a statement received by {Euphrates News} a copy of it, “First of all, everything that was said in the message has no basis in truth. The only truth is what was stated in the text, which is that they are (allegations) and do not amount to information.”
She explained that “Iraq is committed to the highest standards of transparency regarding oil production and export, and all data related to this is published regularly and in detail through official channels. The Ministry of Oil only deals with a number of reputable international companies, including American companies in the fields of production and marketing, and it has strong relations and partnerships with these companies that extend for decades in investing in oil fields in various regions of Iraq and standard contracts according to international transparency standards in marketing Iraqi crude oil.”
She pointed out that “what was said in the letter regarding Iraq’s role in helping Iran evade sanctions is nothing but allegations and fabrications that have no basis in truth. Iraq deals with Iran in the energy sector and imports gas and electricity in coordination and understanding with friends in the United States and under the sun with transparent and announced contracts, whether for imports or for paying the Iranian side’s dues. Iraq respects its international obligations and is committed to international law and builds its relations with neighboring countries and other countries on the basis of respect and mutual interests that are consistent with international laws and is far removed from participating in any activity that violates them.”
The Oil Ministry confirmed that “based on the above, and since the Iraqi oil sector is monitored by regulatory bodies and strict auditing procedures, including contracts for the export of crude oil and petroleum products, including black oil, which are carried out according to mechanisms of utmost transparency that rely on government laws and instructions, this refutes the allegations of fraud and financing of the so-called militias, and the ministry’s connection to the security agencies is regulated by constitutional legal texts, and no party can exert pressure on the ministry.”
The ministry expressed its “surprise and disapproval regarding what was stated in the letter about the role of some officials in smuggling oil and manipulating allocations, and we reject these allegations in the name of Iraq in their entirety and challenge the provision of any evidence to support these allegations. This ministry confirms that, under the leadership of its Minister, Mr. Hayan Abdul Ghani, it works according to mechanisms of the utmost integrity and transparency. Export operations are carried out through official internationally approved ports, represented by the port of Basra in Iraq and the port of Ceyhan in Turkey, with follow-up and supervision from international institutions (KPLER), which provide accurate data on quantities, quality and tankers. Any party can examine and match the data, and this refutes at the same time the allegations of smuggling Iranian oil and presenting it as Iraqi oil, and also refutes the allegations of mixing and smuggling operations through Iraqi oil ports, all oil movements and activities in which are subject to the supervision of international inspectors contracted with the Ministry of Oil.”
She noted that “Iraqi territorial waters are held firmly and under strict control by the Iraqi naval forces. Iraq does not bear responsibility for what may happen outside its territorial waters, as Iraqi oil contracts are organized on a FOB basis and the responsibility of the Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) ends once the oil is loaded onto the tanker.”
The statement continued, “As for the allegations of linking oil and the dollar in favor of Iran, Iraq is one of the countries most committed to international regulations governing the trade of oil and currencies, and we deny the existence of any secret or illegal transactions that enable others to circumvent Iraq, and it is known and announced that all oil revenues are made through the US Federal Reserve.”
The Ministry of Oil expressed its surprise at “the repetition of these allegations from time to time, often with the approach of each visit by a senior Iraqi official to the United States of America, as if the person who wrote them is not happy about the establishment of strong relations and cooperation between two friendly countries linked by an important framework agreement that includes all fields.”
alforatnews.iq
