Iraq admits its soil used to attack Gulf neighbours

If you’ve noticed petrol prices or airline schedules feeling a bit shaky lately, part of the reason sits just across the Gulf, in Iraq. Every time armed groups there fire a drone at an oil pipeline, it ripples through energy markets, flight paths and the sense of calm we’re all used to in this region.

That’s why a new admission from Iraq’s own foreign minister is worth your attention, even if Baghdad feels far from your daily commute in Kuwait. It touches the same web of tension we’ve been covering around drone strikes near Saudi oil fields and attacks on Saudi airports in recent weeks.

What did Iraq’s foreign minister actually say?

Speaking to Al Jazeera in an interview recorded ahead of its broadcast at 18:00 GMT on Sunday, Hussein said Iraq has evidence that external parties used its land as a launch pad for attacks on neighbouring countries. He didn’t name every party involved, but the context is clear.

Saudi Arabia has long accused Iran-aligned armed groups operating inside Iraq of striking its oil infrastructure. In September, Baghdad itself confirmed that drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, a key route that carries crude across the kingdom, were launched from inside Iraq.

Hussein said Baghdad is now investigating these cross-border attacks and wants to fix tensions with Riyadh through dialogue, not confrontation. That’s a notable shift in tone, given how serious this region’s recent run of attacks has been, including the Riyadh airport attack that killed 18 people last month.

Why are armed factions inside Iraq such a problem?

Iraq has several armed groups aligned with Iran that operate with real influence inside the country, often outside full government control. Hussein said Baghdad is negotiating with these factions to bring their weapons under state authority. He stressed this has to happen through talks, not force, because a military crackdown could easily spiral.

Iraq is also in direct contact with Tehran about the same issue, the weapons held by these factions. Hussein was careful to separate two things: Iraq welcomes friendship and an alliance with Iran, but rejects any interference in its internal affairs. It’s a fine line for Baghdad to walk, sitting between a powerful neighbour and a Gulf region demanding security guarantees.

The pressure isn’t only coming from the Gulf. Hussein confirmed that Washington has formally asked Iraq to shut all but two of its border crossings with Iran. That request sits inside the wider, tense standoff between the US and Iran that we’ve tracked in Iran’s warning to Washington over a possible new war and Trump’s renewed threat against Iran.

What’s this got to do with the Strait of Hormuz?

Hussein also revealed the financial cost Iraq has already paid in this standoff. He said Iraq lost about $60 billion from a suspension of oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that a huge share of Gulf oil, including from Kuwait, passes through daily.

The good news, if you can call it that, is shipments have resumed after Baghdad reached understandings with both Washington and Tehran. But the fact that exports were halted at all shows how fragile that shipping lane still is, something anyone following recent threats against Saudi oil plants or the Houthis’ demand for $51 billion from Saudi Arabia already knows well.

What does this mean for people in Kuwait?

Kuwait doesn’t share a border with the trouble spots Hussein is describing, but it sits in the same small Gulf neighbourhood. A pipeline attack in Saudi Arabia, a shut border crossing in Iraq, or a halted tanker route through Hormuz can all push up fuel and shipping costs, and they tend to make airlines reroute or delay flights through the region.

For residents and citizens alike, the practical takeaway is less dramatic than the politics: keep an eye on regional oil and flight news, because small shifts in Baghdad or Riyadh can show up later in your petrol bill or your flight connection times. You can follow more of this picture in our latest international coverage.

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