, Columnist
Kurdish Oil Tensions Show Iran Was a Trump Sideshow
Kurdish referendum fallout could quickly spiral into substantial disruption of oil exports.
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The drama around President Donald Trump and Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal was always a distraction for the oil world from a more urgent issue. Rising tensions in northern Iraq could have a much more immediate impact on oil flows and are already leading prices higher.
The collapse of so-called Islamic State in Iraq ought to be a cause for celebration and national renewal. Instead, it has dragged the country to the brink of a civil war. The ousting of insurgents from their last strongholds in northern Iraq has brought the Iraqi military and Iranian-backed militias into direct conflict with forces loyal to the Kurdish Regional Government in the oil fields around Kirkuk.