According to KurdPress, Al-Monitor claimed that the decision was made following increased security concerns and in a situation where tensions between Tehran and Washington have intensified again in recent weeks. Informed sources, who did not want to be named, announced that the suspension of oil companies’ activities has been implemented since the publication of this report.According to the report, oil fields managed by Western companies have been targeted in the past, and concerns about a repeat of these attacks were cited as a major factor in the companies’ decision to halt production.

Al-Monitor writes that this development coincided with the first official visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the United States. During the visit, Baghdad signed dozens of agreements, from executive contracts to memorandums of understanding, with American companies, most of which are related to the energy and oil sectors. According to Al-Monitor, one of the main demands of the Donald Trump administration from Baghdad is to provide security guarantees to protect American companies operating in Iraq.

The report also notes that in March, the American company HKN Energy was forced to halt production after an armed group attacked the Sarsang oil field in Dohuk province.Al-Monitor has emphasized that with increasing security risks, the future of foreign companies’ activities in the Kurdistan Region’s energy sector is facing greater uncertainty, and continued oil production will depend largely on the security situation and guarantees from the Iraqi government.