Source: US Department of Defense
Kuwait and Iraq seek to defuse Iran crisis
The states depend of the Strait of Hormuz for their oil exports and vital oil revenue
Sometimes it takes a shared crisis for neighbours who have been at loggerheads for years to put aside their differences. A one-day visit to Iraq by the Emir of Kuwait, Shaikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, reflects a gradual thaw in relations over recent years after the trauma of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. But, much more, it is an indication that the two states are alarmed by the rising tension in the Gulf over the Iran crisis. They have good reason to be. Both export their crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf of Oman—where two tankers were recently damaged in attacks blamed on Iran. All Kuwait's exports (around 2mn bl/d) and almost all Iraq's (3.5mn bl/d, with only 100
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
