“Tidbits From TNT” Monday 12-8-2025
TNT:
Tishwash: Trump Reaffirms Commitment to Middle East Peace in Letter to Iraqi President
President Rashid expressed appreciation for Trump’s letter, dated November 21, which praised Iraq’s efforts to support peace initiatives in conflict-affected areas around the world.
US President Donald Trump has reiterated his commitment to resolving long-standing conflicts in the Middle East, according to a letter delivered to Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and disclosed on Thursday.
The Iraqi Presidency said in a statement that President Rashid received US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris in Baghdad, who conveyed condolences on the passing of the President’s brother, Shamal Jamal Rashid.
During the meeting, both sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen cooperation across various sectors in order to serve the shared interests of Iraq and the United States. They also reviewed regional and international developments and underlined the importance of continued coordination to address current challenges and promote stability and security.
President Rashid expressed appreciation for Trump’s letter, dated November 21, which praised Iraq’s efforts to support peace initiatives in conflict-affected areas around the world.
In his message, President Trump emphasized his administration’s commitment to ending “centuries of conflict” in the Middle East and voiced hope that the international community would overcome longstanding divisions to protect lives across all regions.
According to the Presidency, President Rashid welcomed Trump’s position, noting that it aligns with his own conviction that disputes must be resolved through dialogue rather than violence. He reaffirmed Iraq’s support for efforts aimed at achieving stability, cooperation, and lasting peace, stressing the importance of collective action for a more secure and harmonious global future. link
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Tishwash: The Sudanese attends the Iraqi-British Business Council conference held in Basra
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attended the Iraqi-British Business Council conference held in Basra Governorate. link
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Tishwash: Washington Institute: Resumption of the Kurdish ITP oil pipeline to America boosts the Iraqi economy
The Washington Institute highlighted the symbolic, political and economic importance of delivering the first shipment of oil exported from the Kurdistan Region via the ITP pipeline to the US port of Louisiana.
The American Institute, in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency, stated that in addition to providing this low-cost crude oil of a quality suitable for American refineries, the resumption of oil flows through this pipeline reflects a potential strengthening of American policy towards both partners and adversaries.
The report stated that on November 24, two months after the reopening of the ITP pipeline, an oil tanker loaded with oil from the Kurdistan Region, after sailing from the Turkish port of Ceyhan, was unloaded at the Louisiana oil terminal.
He noted that although US oil imports are generally driven by trade and pricing dynamics, this particular shipment would not have been possible without the interim deal brokered by the United States last September, under which Baghdad, regional officials in Erbil, and international oil companies operating in northern Iraq agreed to reopen the ITP pipeline after it had been shut down for more than two years.
According to the American report, Washington played an influential role in the Iraqi energy landscape, ensuring that the 2005 Iraqi constitution recognized the Kurdish joint administration's rights to oil resources and linking the encouragement of American international companies' participation in southern Iraq with support for American companies in the north, in addition to mediating several deals between Baghdad and Erbil regarding the sharing of oil revenues.
In addition, the report noted that Washington encouraged Turkey, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to accept compromises to achieve a breakthrough in the ITP pipeline issue.
Therefore, the report called on US officials to work to maintain this current close engagement, given its importance to the stability of Iraq, a major producer and supplier of oil to global markets, and to US companies seeking to expand their projects in the north or return to strengthen their assets in the south.
The report suggested that American support for these economic assets of Baghdad could help counter Iranian influence by demonstrating to Iraqis that there are tangible benefits to cooperating with the United States.
After questioning why US refineries were importing northern Iraqi oil, the report explained that, according to data from Kpler, the tanker Seaway Brazos loaded about one million barrels of northern Iraqi crude at the Ceyhan terminal in late October before sailing towards Louisiana, noting that more of these ships are expected to be unloaded in the United States in the near future.
The report explained that these shipments were partly driven by the desire to obtain medium sour crude of the type produced in northern Iraq, noting that while US refineries work on different types of oil, not all types are produced locally or transportable in a cost-effective manner.
He went on to say that although the United States exports light sweet crude, it imports medium, heavy sour and other types from places such as the Middle East and Latin America in order to meet the demand from refineries designed to work on these crudes.
The report stated that Kurdish oil exporting companies, in order to attract buyers via Ceyhan, offered large discounts after the ITP pipeline was reopened, and exports were quickly resumed.
The report addressed the geostrategic importance of the ITP pipeline, noting that the interim agreement to resume work on the pipeline paved the way for further negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil on the controversial issue of oil production and exports from northern Iraq, as well as talks related to the more than $1 billion in arrears owed by Erbil to International Oil Companies (IOCs).
The report considered these talks and the ITP line itself to be of great importance to both global energy markets and Washington’s geostrategic interests.
He went on to say that the more Baghdad uses this pipeline to export oil from other parts of Iraq, the stronger its bilateral ties with Turkey become, adding that, ideally, this would also reduce Iran’s influence in Baghdad, especially with regard to energy issues.
After noting that the Kurdistan Region is relatively rich in both gas reserves and electricity generation compared to the rest of Iraq, the report went on to say that as the energy relationship between Baghdad and Erbil grows, international companies operating in northern Iraq and other investors can expand their operations in the region in ways that enable the Kurds to export gas to the rest of Iraq, thereby reducing Baghdad’s dependence on Iran and strengthening electricity cooperation between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government.
According to the report, "it is not surprising that pro-Iranian militias attacked Kurdistan's largest gas production complex with a missile strike last week."
The report suggested that other positive outcomes might include an amicable resolution to the fallout from Iraq’s international legal case against Türkiye for importing Kurdish oil over the past decade without Baghdad’s permission.
Therefore, he indicated that US officials must also do everything they can to facilitate successful talks between Iraq and Turkey regarding the expanded deal on the ITP pipeline.
The report concluded that "pressure from the United States and the European Union appears to have forced Turkey to reduce its imports of Russian crude oil - which averaged around 300,000 barrels per day during the first nine months of this year - and to diversify its oil sources, so the ITP pipeline could offer Ankara a similar type of crude oil from a nearby source, with potentially steep discounts." link
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Mot: Another one of Those - ""Keep Ya Up Tonight Thingies""
