{
  "id": 1820192,
  "title": "The U.S. Is Quietly Building a New Energy Foothold in Iraq",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/the-u-s-is-quietly-building-a-new-energy-foothold-in-iraq",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "OilPrice",
    "slug": "oilprice",
    "url": "https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/The-US-Is-Quietly-Building-a-New-Energy-Foothold-in-Iraq.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Since the conclusion of World War II, a few events have dramatically transformed the world's oil markets and its associated geopolitics, often unnoticed at the time. One such event is the quiet pact between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Saudi King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, signed on February 14, 1945. This agreement laid the groundwork for the energy, economic, political, and military relationship between the two nations until the emergence of American shale in the early 2010s. Another significant encounter was the series of meetings between U.S. President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in October and November 1973. These talks aimed to mitigate the influence of Arab states following the 1973 Oil Crisis, employing the strategy of \"constructive ambiguity.\" A recent revelation that may fit into this pattern involves a new project in Iraq, quietly undertaken by the U.S. with minimal publicity. The project centers around a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal set to commence operations in the second quarter of 2027 at the Port of Khor Al Zubair. Excelerate Energy, a U.S.-based firm with expertise in LNG floating storage and regasification units (FRSU), is constructing, financing, and operating the terminal, which is the first of its kind in Iraq. The company, recognized as a global leader in LNG infrastructure, signed a fully integrated agreement with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity, initially valued at $450 million. The project's scope includes engineering, procurement, dredging, site clearance, topside equipment installation, berth facility upgrades, and jetty reinforcement. Excelerate will also serve as the primary LNG cargo supplier, handling both infrastructure and fuel delivery through a single contract. With a guaranteed regasification capacity of 500 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d), the facility will cater to Iraq's minimum daily take of 250 MMscf/d. Historically, Iraq has been viewed by the U.S. as a client state of Iran due to Tehran's economic, political, military, and religious proxies. However, recent developments suggest a shift in this dynamic.",
  "summary": "There have been perhaps a handful of events since the end of the Second World War that have fundamentally reshaped the world’s oil markets and consequently its geopolitics while remaining largely unnoticed at the time. The quiet agreement between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Saudi King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud struck on 14 February 1945 that would define the energy,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}