Explosion Rocks Oil Facility in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region

An explosion hit a production facility at the Sarang oil field in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region early Tuesday, prompting an immediate suspension of operations, the US-based operator, HKN Energy, has confirmed.

In an official statement, the company said: “An explosion occurred earlier today at approximately 7:00 AM local time (0400 GMT) at one of its production facilities in the Sarang field.” It further noted that “operations at the affected facility have been suspended until the site is secured.”

While no casualties were reported, the cause of the blast remains unknown.

The incident comes amid a wave of recent drone and rocket attacks targeting the Kurdistan region. Just a day before the explosion, three explosive-laden drones were launched, with one intercepted near Arbil airport and two striking the Khurmala oil field, leading to material damage.

No group has claimed responsibility for those attacks. However, on July 3, Kurdistan authorities said they intercepted a drone near Arbil airport and pointed fingers at Hashed al-Shaabi — a group of pro-Iranian forces now formally part of Iraq’s security structure. Baghdad, in turn, rejected the accusation.

The explosion also coincides with mounting friction between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdish regional authorities over control of oil exports. A major pipeline to Turkey has remained inactive since 2023 due to legal and technical disputes.

Tensions further escalated in May when Baghdad filed a legal complaint against the Kurdistan region for signing gas contracts with two American firms — one of them being HKN Energy.