By Hewa Abdulkhaleq Ahmed
Oil fields in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have seen an unprecedented rise in security threats. In the past few weeks, they have been hit by drone attacks from unknown sources, which have stopped oil production in several major fields, including Khurmala, Sarsang, Tawki, and Peshkhabur. These attacks, which started in July 2025 and got worse, cut oil production by about 140,000 to 150,000 barrels per day, down from the normal 280,000 barrels per day. They also did a lot of damage to the oil sector’s infrastructure. The question comes up Who is behind these acts of sabotage, and why are they doing them?
The drones, which often carry bombs, have attacked oil facilities run by foreign companies like Norway’s DNO and the U.S. HKN, as well as other important places like Erbil airport. These attacks didn’t kill anyone, but they did a lot of damage to property, which forced many businesses to stop working. The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Natural Resources says that these “terrorist” attacks are meant to hurt the region’s economy and put workers’ safety at risk. The local economy has also suffered because the area relies heavily on oil money.
The Kurdistan Region Petroleum Industry Association (APICOR), which speaks for eight international oil companies, said that the attacks had stopped the production of more than 200,000 barrels of oil per day, which was a strategic threat to the Iraqi economy as a whole. The companies were worried that the attacks would keep happening, which could make them rethink their investments or even leave the Iraqi market, which would mean losing technology and know-how.
No one has officially taken credit for these attacks, but security sources in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and military experts think that Iranian-backed armed groups, like some groups linked to the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), may have been involved. Reports say that some drone launches have taken place near the Dibs area in Kirkuk province, which supports this theory. A security expert also said that these groups may be acting out of political or economic reasons, such as putting pressure on Erbil to settle its differences with Baghdad or forcing the region to follow outside plans.
The Coordination Framework alliance, which includes groups that support Iran, denied any involvement in the attacks and said it was committed to Iraq’s stability. But experts think that the government’s silence about who did it may have something to do with how complicated the political relationship is between Baghdad and Tehran. The Iraqi government doesn’t want to blame groups that are connected to powerful political groups, especially those that are connected to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Kurdistan Region’s leaders have asked for better air defences and protection of important buildings, but the lack of communication between Baghdad and Erbil is making those plans harder to carry out.
First, it could be an attempt to weaken the economy of the Kurdistan Region, which relies heavily on oil revenues, because there are still problems between Erbil and Baghdad over oil exports through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, which has been put on hold since March 2023. Second, outside groups, like Iran, may want to send political messages to the region and the foreign companies that do business there, especially American companies, which are the main targets of attacks like the Sarsanak field attack. These attacks could be part of a larger conflict in the area, with drones being used to make the Kurdistan Region of Iraq less stable and secure than areas controlled by the central government.
In short, drone strikes on oil fields in the Kurdistan Region are a major threat to the region’s economy and stability, as well as to Iraq’s political stability as a whole. It’s hard to find out who is to blame when investigations aren’t open about who is to blame. So, Erbil and Baghdad need to work closely together, and the federal government needs to be serious about finding out who the attackers are. They also need to get international support to deal with this problem and protect oil facilities. If these attacks keep happening, they could cause long-term economic losses and make people lose faith in the Iraqi government’s ability to solve this security problem.