the political crisis between Baghdad and Erbil on oil issue caused Iraq a sharp- fall in oil export revenue this week, International Center for Development Studies stated in a report.

The drop estimated as ‘$200 each second’ due to stopping of Iraqi oil exports through the Turkish Jihan Port.

“ Saboteurs starting deliberate fires to the Iraqi oil pipe line, which links with the Jihan Port, has stopped about one quarter of Iraq’s crude oil exports causing the loss of about $125 millions in only one week”, source added.

Even though Iraq is now the second largest oil producing country within the organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the report expressed concern that “many international oil firms [are] reluctant to enter the Iraqi market, taking into account that the central government in Baghdad is threatening not to pay international firms working in the Kurdistan region.”

The long-term uneasy problems between Baghdad and Erbil on oil and gas especially rose as Baghdad maintains it alone has the right to export Iraqi crude, while Kurdistan has moved ahead with signing exploration deals with U.S oil majors such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron followed by France’s Total and a unit of Russia’s Gazporm which the central government rejects as illegal.