Iraq Oil Exports Increase As Country Violates OPEC Quotas

August 2019 was the second month in a row that Iraq’s oil exports grew. That’s due to the country not following OPEC production quotas. At the same time prices dipped down to around $50 per barrel for the first time in seven months. Fears of an economic slowdown and overproduction of petroleum has led to prices to stall throughout the year.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 18

1916 British leaders told troops to continue advance in Mesopotamia vs Ottomans after huge loss

at Kut One of biggest British defeats in WWI

1950 PM Said threatened to expel Jews from Iraq over Israel

1980 Iran’s Foreign Minister rejected Iraq’s claim to Shatt al-Arab

1980 Saddam sent Tariq Aziz to Arab countries to argue Iraq’s case to back it against Iran

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)

1980 Iraqi artillery hit Iranian city of Abadan

1980 2 Iranian F-5 Tiger IIs fired upon Iraqi troops along the Iran-Iraq border and were shot down by Iraqi

anti-aircraft fire

1980 2 Iraqi divisions seized border posts in Iran’s Khuzistan province

1980 Iraq’s generals made final battle plans for invasion of Iran and set 9/22/80 as invasion date

1985 Iranian Op Al Quds 5 in Kurdistan ended with Iranian forces largely pushed back after Iraqi

counteroffensive

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1990 Iraq Army Chief of Staff Gen Khazraji told Saddam Iraq would lose any war with US Saddam

dismissed warning

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Storm, Volume 1)

1995 Hussein Kamal interview with Time Said he defected to Jordan to help Iraq Said Iraq had been at war

too long since Iran-Iraq War Criticized Saddam for executions and arrests

1996 KDP attacked Kurdish displaced camp along Iranian border killing 11 wounding 30 during campaign

against PUK

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Kurds, A Modern History)

2001 Richard Clarke’s counterterrorism office sent Natl Sec Adv Rice memo saying no Iraq-9/11 links

found

2001 DepDefSec Wolfowitz wrote Def Sec Rumsfeld that Iraq backed terrorists and might have been behind

1993 World Trade Center bombing using conspiracy theorist Mylroie’s argument 

(Musings On Iraq article on Mylroie’s Iraq conspiracy theories)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq, 9/11 And The Bush Administration)

(Musings On Iraq From 9/11 To The Invasion of Iraq: Analysis of Bush Administration Decision Making)

(Musings On Iraq book review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2001 Reuters reported 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraqi intelligence in Europe Story was false

2002 Def Sec Rumsfeld told House Iraq was close to acquiring materials to build a nuclear bomb Said going

to war important decision and why Bush had not decided on it yet Said war would not be costly and would not last more than 2 years Said US would not occupy Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on how poor US intel work led to claim Iraq rebuilt its nuclear weapons program)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq, One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

(Musings On Iraq review Bush At War)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2002 CIA Paris Station chief met with Lebanese journalist who said Iraq’s Foreign Min Sabri willing to

work with US Lebanese journalist told CIA Sabri said no WMD or nuke programs Station chief went to CIA HQ to tell about Iraq Sabri’s claims about WMD and nuke programs

2002 CIA’s Iraq Operations Group said Iraq Foreign Min Sabri’s claims WMD and nuke programs inactive

was dinsinformation

2003 Head weapons inspector Blix said he believed Iraq destroyed its WMD in 90s

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2003 Report wave of kidnappings for ransom across Baghdad

2004 Zarqawi front group Jihad and Unification video aired on Al Jazeera saying it had kidnapped 2

Americans and a Briton in Baghdad Demanded release of Iraqi women prisoners

2005 Iraq draft constitution presented to UN

(Musings On Iraq interview with constitutional scholar Zaid al-Ali on Iraq’s constitution)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)

2005 UK General Brims reported 12 car bombs in Baghdad weekly casualties up 122% after Zarqawi

declared war on Shiites

(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

2006 US turned over central Salahaddin to Iraq’s 4^th Division Was second such handover to ISF

2007 Report Shiite religious parties in Basra city banned public parties selling music CDs in stores and

alcohol Criticized artists Put up signs telling women to cover themselves

2008 Iraqi army demanded Peshmerga withdraw from Jalawa Diyala after negating deal with Kurds to allow

them to remain in town Part of Maliki policy to pressure Kurds in disputed areas

(Musings On Iraq article on Maliki’s pressuring Kurds in Diyala)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)

2012 Cabinet approved new oil export-revenue sharing deal with KRG

2015 Protests in Baghdad Babil Karbala Najaf Qadisiyah Muthanna Dhi Qar Wasit Maysan Basra Diyala

over reforms

2018 Kataib Hezbollah threatened to overthrow next govt if it didn’t respect the sacrifices of the Hashd

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq Sep 1-7, 2019

(Shafaaq News)

For the third week in a row attacks in Iraq went up. The cause is unknown. It could be a last push in the Islamic State’s Revenge of the Levant spring-summer offensive which has not amounted to much or some other issue such as targeting Ashura starting the second week of September. This year’s trends have been slower to develop and take months to come into focus.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 17

1953 Mohammed al-Jamali became PM Cabinet included 7 Shiites most ever Presented reform

package which parliament rejected eventually bringing down his govt

1965 PM Razzaq attempted coup vs Col Arif discovered and had to flee Razzaq was mad at Arif for

not uniting Iraq with Egypt

1975 Iran and Iraq ratified border treaty between two

1980 Saddam called emergency session of parliament Announced 1975 Algiers Treaty on border and

Shatt al-Arab with Iran was voided Blamed Iran’s constant violations of Iraqi sovereignty for failure of 1975 treaty Said Shatt al-Arab needed to be Arab as it had been throughout history

1980 Saddam gave TV speech Said Iran violated 1975 Algiers Treaty was backing Kurds Refused to return

Iraqi territory Saddam then abrogated the 1949 Treaty of Good Relations and 1975 Algiers Treaty Also claimed sovereignty over Shatt al-Arab waterway

1980 Iran refused Saddam’s demands and sent forces to Iraqi border Said US backing Iraq for a

            counterrevolution

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)

1980 Heavy fighting broke out between Iraqi and Iranian forces in Shatt al-Arab

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1995 SCIRI claimed it attacked 3 Iraqi army positions in Baghdad in September

1997 UN inspectors watched Iraqis moving files and burning documents while waiting for access to a WMD

site

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Sec 1.1 UK Iraq Strategy 1990 To 2000)

(Musings On Iraq article Charles Duelfer’s Account Of The End Of The 1990s U.N. Inspections)

1998 Italian paper claimed Iraq offered bin Laden safehaven if he was expelled from Afghanistan False story

1998 Talabani and Barzani met in Washington to announce power sharing deal in Kurdistan

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Kurds, A Modern History)

2001 Iraq’s Foreign Minister Sabri said that Muslims and Arabs considered US a terrorist state

2001 Bush said he believed Iraq was involved in 9/11 to his national security staff

(Musings On Iraq review Bush At War)

2001 Bush signed order for war in Afghanistan that also called for revising Iraq war plan

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2001 Bush told Def Sec Rumsfeld to revise Iraq war plan but that it wasn’t a priority with Afghanistan

coming

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

2001 Bush told Pentagon it needed to be ready to deal with Iraq if it acted against US interests

2001 Dep Sec of Def Wolfwotiz sent memos to Def Sec Rumsfeld advocating for attacking Iraq Said better

than 10% chance Iraq behind 9/11 Memo used Iraq conspiracy theorist Mylroie’s claim that Iraq behind 1993 World Trade Center bombing

(Musings On Iraq article on how Bush admin went from 9/11 to Iraq invasion)

(Musings On Iraq article on Mylroie’s Iraq conspiracy theories)

(Musings On Iraq book review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2001 David Wurmser and Iraq conspiracy theorist Mylroie talked to media about possible Iraq role in 9/11

2001 Sen Allen told CNN US might think of regime change in Iraq

2002 National Security Strategy for Bush admin released Called for preemptive war to deal with rogue

states

(Musings On Iraq book review America at the Crossroads, Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2002 UnderSecDefense Feith aide told DepDefSec Wolfowitz Cheney chief of staff Libby DepNatlSecAdv

Hadley asked for chronology of 9/11 hijacker Atta’s travels after briefed by Feith’s staff that Atta met with Iraqi intel officer in Prague in 01

2003 Bush said no evidence Iraq involved in 9/11 but Iraq had ties to Al Qaeda

2003 Saddam audio tape released on Al Arabiya called for US to withdraw from Iraq and to increase attacks

2004 British forces raided Sadrist headquarters in Basra

2004 Draft of Iraq Survey Group report said Saddam wanted to produce WMD but had no stocks or

programs Said only WMD Iraq had were poisons for assassinations by Iraqi intelligence

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq, One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

2006 Anbar Salvation Council issued ultimatum for Al Qaeda in Iraq to leave Anbar

(Musings On Iraq article on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq article on change in perceptions that led to Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Carter Malkasian on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Confronting Al Qaeda, The Sunni Awakening and American Strategy In Al Anbar)

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Marines Take Anbar, The Four-Year Fight Against Al Qaeda)

(Musings On Iraq book review Illusions of Victory, The Anbar Awakening And The Rise Of The Islamic State)

2006 Report Inter Min didn’t have political backing to purge police of militias US commander said 5-6 of 27

National Police battalions were sectarian and criminal US began reform of National Police giving each battalion an inspection and training Maliki govt stopped Iraqi-US inspections of Iraqi prisons No officials charged with prisoner abuse despite lots of evidence Interior had fired 1500 police since June 2006 Fingerprint campaign found 1,228 police and Inter Min workers had been convicted of violent crimes under Saddam

(Musings On Iraq interview with Jerry Burke police and Interior Min adviser on how Badr took over Interior Ministry)

2006 Report Pentagon tried to hire Republicans to staff CPA Hired many unqualified personnel Thomas

Foley in charge of privatizing state owned enterprises was a Republican donor who went to college with Bush Foley put Jay Hallen former real estate agent in charge of Iraq’s stock market Hallen tried to reform market that Iraqis didn’t want so change rejected

2007 Report Mahdi Army had 17,000 men in Basra Controlled hospitals police schools ports oil terminal

electricity Received food from Iran that it sold for a profit SIIC and Badr controlled customs police intelligence border crossings to Iran and Kuwait that it kept duties from Fadhila party controlled governorship force protection police PM Maliki appointed new Basra commander and division commander in bid for power Competition between parties increased with UK withdrawal

2008 SIIC accused PM Maliki of creating Tribal Support Councils to bolster his support

(Musings On Iraq article on PM Maliki’s patronage system including Tribal Support Councils)

(Musings On Iraq article Disputes over PM Maliki’s Tribal Support Councils)

2018 Activist in Basra said that ISF were carrying out arbitrary arrests of demonstrators without warrants

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Hashd’s 30th Brigade In Ninewa Assaults Dep Governor and MP

The Hashd’s 30^th Brigade showed once again why Prime Ministers Haidar Abadi and Adil Mahdi both ordered them to leave Mosul and the Ninewa Plains. The unit stopped the motorcade of Ninewa Deputy Governor Sirwan Rozbayani and Parliamentarian Shirwan Dobardani at a checkpoint in Gojali just outside of east Mosul, and got into an altercation. Four bodyguards of the two politicians were detained and injured, and only released an hour later.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 16

1961 Govt forces began ground offensive to put down Mustafa Barzani Kurdish revolt

1980 Revolutionary Command Council met to discuss border skirmishes with Iran Saddam said Iran

vulnerable and this was the time Iraq could seize control of Shatt al-Arab and disputed territories between the two Said that Iran would not fight Iraq because it was afraid Saddam told advisers that he would order invasion of Iran in coming days

1980 Ali Hassan al-Majid head of Mukhabarat only one of Saddam’s advisers to voice concerns about going

to war with Iran

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)

1983 Iranian Revolutionary Guard and KDP attacked Chwart Kurdistan

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

1986 Iraq air strike on Iran’s Lavan oil terminal 

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)

1990 Bush said sanctions on Iraq would end when it withdrew from Kuwait and released foreign hostages

(Musings On Iraq book review from storm to Freedom, America’s Long War with Iraq)

1990 UN Resolution 667 demanded Iraq release foreign nationals it detained in Kuwait

1991 Mohammed Zubaidi became Iraq’s premier

1995 PKK ended its campaign against KDP

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

2001 Bush said unless Iraq connected to 9/11 it would be dealt with diplomatically not with force Told Natl

Sec Adv Rice Iraq would have to be dealt with later

(Musings On Iraq review Bush At War)

2001 VP Cheney on Meet The Press No evidence Iraq was linked to 9/11 Said focus was on Al Qaeda

2001 Defense Policy Board’s Perle told CNN Iraq linked to Al Qaeda and Saddam backed terrorism and

states like Iraq had to be dealt with

(Musings On Iraq Iraq, 9/11 And The Bush Administration)

(Musings On Iraq From 9/11 To The Invasion of Iraq: Analysis of Bush Administration Decision Making)

(Musings On Iraq book review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2001 Fmr CIA Dir Woolsey said stories of 9/11 hijacker Atta meeting with Iraqi intel showed Iraq needed to

be investigated

2002 Iraq told UN it would allow new weapons inspections with no conditions

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2002 VP Chief of Staff Libby and DepNatlSecAdv Hadley briefed by Pentagon group on Iraq-Al Qaeda

connections Claimed over 2 dozen high level Iraq-Al Qaeda meetings for more than a decade Claimed Iraq played role in 9/11 Claimed 1 hijacker given money by Iraq Hijacker Atta met twice with Iraqi intelligence 

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2002 New draft of UK dossier on Iraq said it had recently produced WMD but no evidence

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 Def Sec Rumsfeld said he believed US intelligence that Iraq had WMD

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq, One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

2003 Def Sec Rumsfeld said no evidence Iraq involved with 9/11

2003 NatlSecAdv Rice said one reason US invaded Iraq was because Saddam was from Middle East where

9/11 attacks came from

2003 Senior Iraqi scientist said WMD programs dismantled by UN inspectors in 90s

2004 UN Sec Gen Annan told BBC that US invasion of Iraq was illegal

2004 July Natl Intel Est on Iraq leaked to press Best case Iraq would remain unstable Worse Iraq would

break out into civil war

2004 US launched Op Hurricane to route out Zarqawi group from Ramadi

2006 Article US officials said they were impatient with Maliki govt Needed to take action on suppressing

sectarian violence and moving towards reconciliation

2007 Blackwater guards fired at car in west Baghdad killing 17 civilians and wounding 20

2007 Report US tried to expand sahwa to southern Shiite tribes to counter militias

2008 Pres Barzani told US Amb Crocker that PM Maliki was beginning to act like a dictator

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)

2009 US closed Camp Bucca prison which had served as recruiting ground for insurgents

2017 Akashat in central west Anbar along Syrian border freed from IS

2017 State of emergency declared in Kirkuk province ahead of KRG independence referendum

2017 MPs filed petition to dismiss Kirkuk council over KRG independence referendum

2017 PM Abadi said that Iraqi forces that carried out abuses during Mosul battle had been held accountable

Nothing actually happened

2018 Protests at West Qurna 1 oil field South Gas Company for jobs and services and protest for Basra

governor in Basra city

2018 Basra activist claimed Hashd working with ISF to detain protesters without warrants

2018 Muthanna Human Rights Office said that ISF issued warrants for activists

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Musings On Iraq In The News

I was quoted by Paul Iddon in "Are Iran-backed militias in Iraq really seeking their own air force?" in Rudaw, and mentioned by Manuel Langendorf in "Iraqi militants likely to plot comeback under the shadow of regional instability" in The Arab Weekly.

Link to all of Musings On Iraq's citations