15 June 2001 In a further sign of deteriorating relations with neighboring Iraq, Saudi Arabia has confiscated an Iraqi-built crude oil pipeline that runs across the Kingdom to the Red Sea port of Muajjiz. The $2 billion IPSA line has been closed for nearly 11 years. The move came two weeks after Saudi Arabia complained to the UN that Iraqi troops had been attacking Saudi border guards since March. Officials…
Tag: oil exports
Iraq-Mideast Conundrum
22 June 2001 Pressure is mounting as UN Security Council members race to revamp the 11-year-old sanctions regime against Baghdad before their self-imposed Jul. 3 deadline. Pushed by its main regional ally, Saudi Arabia, the US is finding it increasingly difficult to win success on the Iraqi front without becoming actively involved in the Middle East conflict. At the same time, however, Riyadh is helping the US pile the pressure…
Not-So-Blind Eye
21 April 2000 For years, Iran turned a blind eye as Iraq smuggled thousands of barrels of oil a day across the Iranian part of the Shatt al-Arab waterway into the Gulf. No longer. A combination of factors, including Tehran’s very understandable desire to protect its own interests, has prompted a well-publicized clampdown on the illegal trade, leading Tehran to seize 10 vessels in one 24-hour period two weeks ago….
Big Fish
14 July 2000 Preparing for the day when UN sanctions are finally lifted, Iraq went touting its oil wares to an international audience in Paris last week. The audience – which included supergiants Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch/Shell, BP Amoco, and Total Fina Elf, as well as a host of slightly smaller fry – also got to hear about some ambitious post-sanctions marketing plans, including moves to recapture more of the…