Weaponising energy: Khor Mor attacks expose Iraq’s power struggles

Energy infrastructure has become one of the country's most politically contested battlefields

Facilities damaged in the rocket attack on Khor Mor gasfield, in Sulaymaniyah province, in Iraq's Kurdish Region. Reuters

This week, the Khor Mor gasfield in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was struck once again in a rocket attack. The explosion triggered an immediate shutdown of gas flows, which then translated into power cuts across the region. Cities dimmed, neighbourhoods fell silent, and millions of people were reminded, yet again, how fragile progress can be when energy is weaponised.

Khor Mor is no ordinary industrial site. It is the beating heart of the region’s power grid, supplying gas to roughly 80 per cent of Kurdistan’s gas flows to five power plants. It also allows the transfer of electricity to federal Iraq. And just a month-and-a-half ago, the field reached a milestone with the completion of the KM250 expansion project, which boosted the field’s output to 750 million standard cubic feet per day, a transformative increment meant to support 24-hour electricity for the first time in the region’s modern history. That progress now sits under fire – literally.

Dana Gas, a UAE-based company that operates the field, said that none of its employees were injured in the attack. However, a major condensate storage tank was hit by the missile, prompting a complete shutdown of production for damage assessment and safety checks. Regional authorities privately blamed Iranian-affiliated militia groups inside federal Iraq for the attack.

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In recent years, Khor Mor has been targeted repeatedly. At least nine attacks have struck the field since 2023, ranging from rockets to precision-guided drones. The deadliest was in April 2024, when a strike killed four workers and forced a prolonged shutdown.

Inside Iraq, theories behind this week’s attack echo the polarised reality of its politics. Some argue it is retaliation for Kurdish parties performing better than expected in recent Iraqi elections. Others believe the message behind these strikes is broader and strategic: Kurdistan must not reach energy independence, which could potentially mean that more electricity supplies in the future could be transferred to federal Iraq.

It is difficult to dismiss that second interpretation. Iran still supplies natural gas to Iraq despite Iraq’s own enormous hydrocarbon reserves, and Kurdish gas could eventually replace some of those imports. Therefore, the attacks send a message that the popularity of Kurdish parties must be capped and dependence on alignment with Iran needs to be maintained.

According to sources familiar with previous investigations, debris from past attacks was analysed by joint Kurdish-federal Iraqi committees and linked to Iranian-made components.

But while the motive is debated, the impact is not. When Khor Mor is hit, families lose power, hospitals run on backup generators, factories halt production. Moreover, international companies − whose investment is the oxygen of development − hesitate. Foreign companies operating in the field have already paused or slowed expansion after earlier attacks, citing security concerns.

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  A boy untangles a net as he stands fishing in an almost dried-up stream in Mishkhab, in Najaf province, Iraq, where years of drought have depleted the fauna and flora. All photos: AFP

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  Ducks gather and a water buffalo cools down in a stream in Mishkhab, Iraq

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  Waterways in Mishkhab are more thoroughfares than sources of vital supplies as poor winter rains fail to replenish groundwater

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  Children continued to play in the streams and rivers of Mishkhab despite nature's inability to provide them with adequate water

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  As children who live by the rivers and streams of Mishkhab grow, so their natural heritage is depleted

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  An almost dried-up stream flows between fields in Mishkhab, in Najaf province

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  Water buffalo cool down in a stream in Mishkhab

There is another consequence, less tangible, but perhaps more corrosive. Repeated infrastructure attacks without accountability create a culture of impunity.

Earlier this month, I interviewed Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani during the Middle East Peace & Security Forum. He told me that authorities had identified individuals linked to several of the past attacks. Some were arrested only to be released on bail by federal authorities. The action by federal Iraq to free these groups would only lead to more attacks, he said. Days later, he was proved right. Mr Barzani also warned that federal Iraq may even try to stop oil flows again from the pipeline connecting the region with Turkey − which restarted in September after a two-year halt. He said “political reasons” may lead to another halt in oil flows.

What’s clear is that energy infrastructure has become one of Iraq’s most politically contested battlefields. Whoever controls electricity controls bargaining power; whoever can turn light into darkness wields leverage far beyond the range of a drone. And this is something that perhaps Iranian-aligned groups in Iraq are constantly using to have their presence and dominance known.

To Kurdish authorities, the tragedy is not only that a vital facility was hit again, but that it was predictable. Now, officials from the region are calling on the US to aid them in obtaining military equipment that would help defend critical sites. However, that might be challenging as the hardware would need to come via federal Iraq.

“How many attacks must happen before the US government simply allows the KRG to purchase kinetic anti-drone equipment for us to defend our skies and critical infrastructure?” Aziz Ahmad, Mr Barzani’s deputy chief of staff, said in a post on X, after the attack.

Kurdish authorities know that the power outages will eventually be restored in the region. But unless accountability does too, till then, Iran's influence will not be dimmed.

Amena Bakr is the head of Middle East Energy and Opec+ research at Kpler, an independent global commodities trade intelligence company