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Iraqi Oil Officials Accuse Iranians Of Holding Iraqi Oil Field

Iraqi officials said Iranian troops occupied a disputed oil well along the two countries' border, the latest in a string of sometimes-contradictory statements Friday about the incursion, fueling worry about an escalation in tensions between Baghdad and Tehran.
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Παρ, 18 Δεκεμβρίου 2009 - 19:50
Iraqi officials said Iranian troops occupied a disputed oil well along the two countries' border, the latest in a string of sometimes-contradictory statements Friday about the incursion, fueling worry about an escalation in tensions between Baghdad and Tehran .

Iranian and Iraqi oil officials have frequently tussled over territory along their shared border, and in particular they have traded accusations about oil resources at the shared field at the center of Friday's reports.

Still, some reports indicated gun fire had been exchanged and Iranians were still holding one well, representing a significant escalation if those reports were confirmed. The reported incursion also comes as Iraqi politicians, many of whom are campaigning on platforms critical of Iranian influence, prepare for parliamentary elections slated for March. That timing could enflame political rhetoric over even a relatively minor incident.

(This story and related background material will be available on The Wall Street Journal Web site, WSJ.com.)

International oil prices spiked briefly on the reports but appeared to settle back down in midday trading in New York .

Attempts to reach the Iranian mission in New York for comment weren't immediately successful.

Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Haj Aziz told the Associated Press late Friday that Iranian troops seized the area around an oil well in the Al-Fakkah field. He said he didn't know if the Iranians were still in control of the territory. Earlier in the day, Iraqi officials had denied any incursion had taken place.

Aziz said late Friday that the Foreign Ministry and the Oil Ministry were coordinating over what steps to take and were considering summoning the Iranian ambassador to discuss the issue Saturday. Iraq's state-run Iraqiya television reported the National Security Council, headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, was meeting Friday night to discuss the issue, according to the AP.

Senior oil ministry officials weren't immediately available to comment late Friday, the start of the weekend in Iraq.

Deputy Interior Minister Ahmed Ali al-Khafaji, reversing statements made earlier in the day, told Reuters that Iranian soldiers had crossed into Iraqi territory and had taken up position at the field. The minister said the incursion Friday was the latest in a series this week, further muddying the waters.

A local oil official in the area where the field is located said Iranians were still in control of Well No. 4 at the field. The official said a group of less than a dozen Iranian soldiers occupied the well, but did so two weeks ago. They opened fire briefly, raised the Iranian flag and continue to occupy the area, the official said.

"Two weeks ago around 10 to 11 Iranian troops occupied Well 4 in (al-Fakkah) oil field after Iraqi oil workers started work in the well near the border," he said.

Local authorities of Missan governorate, in Iraq 's southeast, told the oil workers to suspend their work until the problem resolved through diplomatic channels with Iran , the official said.

Well No. 4 lies in the al-Fakkah field, part of a cluster of fields Iraq unsuccessfully put up for auction to oil majors in June. The field has estimated reserves of 1.55 million barrels.

The incident came only a few weeks after officials from the oil ministries of both countries met in Baghdad to discuss oil and gas fields near the two countries' shared border. Iraq had accused Iran of siphoning crude oil from fields near its border with Iran , including al-Fakkah.

According to a Pentagon official, disputes over "horizontal drilling" -- where Iraqis have accused Iran of hunting for oil by drilling into Iraqi territory -- have been common in the area, and Iran has moved into the field, where borders are disputed, before. The official added that while this incursion appeared more "aggressive," the U.S. wasn't concerned it could lead to escalating tensions. "This oil field is in a disputed territory between Iran and Iraq ," the official said. "It's not unusual for these types of incursions to occur."

After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iran seized six wells in the nearby Abu Gharb oil field, saying they were in disputed territory and should be sealed until the border dispute was settled, Iraqi oil officials have said.

Last year, Iraq 's integrity commission, an independent official body that checks government corruption, accused Iran of seizing more than 15 wells in the al-Teeb border in southern Iraq . Iran had denied these accusations.

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