By Anas al-Bar | 2024-10-21

Iraq and the United States have been working within the framework of their strategic partnership to enhance coordination in order to stabilize the movement of commercial ships and oil tankers in the region.

During an October visit to Washington, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein discussed the consequences of the regional conflict on the energy and oil trade.

His meetings with US officials focused on "enhancing joint cooperation in the fields of energy, oil and the economy, and continuing diplomatic efforts to maintain Iraq's stability and security," Iraq's Foreign Ministry said.

Discussions also focused on the need to address the economic challenges resulting from ongoing regional unrest, and to "protect sea lanes to ensure the export of Iraqi and Gulf oil by securing these lanes," the ministry said.

The Iranian regime has been attempting to exploit the ongoing unrest to extend its influence over key regional waterways and control the chokepoints through which the global oil trade passes.

In addition to the Strait of Hormuz, it seeks to dominate Bab al-Mandeb at the southern entrance to the Red Sea via the Houthis, who have been attacking oil tankers and disrupting the shipping channel that leads to the Suez Canal.

Iraq, which relies on oil sales as a primary source of revenue, stands with US and international efforts to secure maritime navigation, analysts said.

As a major energy producer, Iraq's economy is impacted by the attacks on shipping channels carried out by the Iranian regime and its proxies.

"Controlling the regional sea lanes is one of the goals of the Iranian strategy," Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies director Ghazi Faisal Hussein told Al-Fassel.

To achieve this objective, "Iran is today using the Houthis and its other proxies to threaten navigation by launching missile attacks on oil and commercial tankers and hijacking and piracy of ships," he said.

"These threats directly harm the economies and interests of the countries of the world and the region, including Iraq," Hussein added.