Iraq top court orders Kurdistan to ship all oil to Baghdad

Iraq’s top court on Tuesday ordered the autonomous Kurdistan region to deliver all oil produced there to the federal government in Baghdad — a move that could reignite long-standing tensions.

A ruling by the federal Supreme Court stipulates that the Kurdistan Regional Government deliver “the entire production of oil fields in Kurdistan” to the federal government.

But Kurdish authorities are unlikely to comply with the ruling, given years of disputes over Baghdad’s share of Kurdish petrol.

Iraq is the second largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The nearly 3.5 million barrels per day exported by the country account for more than 90 percent of Iraq’s income.