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Iraqs largest oil export terminal in Basra will stop operations for 24 hours starting at midnight today to get a new feeding pipeline, the state South Oil Company said. No details were provided as to whether the pipeline is a replacement for an existing one or it would increase the loading capacity of the terminal.

At the moment, Basra loads 1.8 million barrels daily. According to the South Oil Company, offshore loading, which takes place at three single-point moorings, will not be affected by the temporary suspension of Basra operations.

Iraq has been the main cause of worry for energy investors ever since OPEC agreed to cut its production in November last year, to stimulate an increase in oil prices. The cartels second-largest producer insisted it should be exempt from the agreement because of its dependence on oil revenues in the context of its fight against the Islamic State, but eventually agreed to a cut of 200,000 barrels per day.

Many expected Iraq to cheat on the deal, and these expectations were heightened after the country reported a daily export rate of 3.51 million bpd from the Basra terminal in December a record high. Still, Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi said at the time he announced the export figure that Iraq is committed to cutting production as per the OPEC deal.

Related:Oil Markets On A Knife Edge Despite 91% OPEC Compliance

There has also been worry that the strained relations between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government will make it harder for Iraq to comply with its production cut commitment: the KRG is largely autonomous in its oil export decisions.

At the end of the first month of the six-month agreement, OPEC appears to have achieved a compliance rate of 91 percent, but this has not been enough to quench worries about the immediate future of oils fundamentals. Iraq is still producing 130,000 bpd above its target, a level of outstanding reductions that should be manageable to achieve, but it unlikely to continue fuelling doubts about the deals success.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Iraq's Biggest Oil Export Terminal Halting Operations - OilPrice.com

The Canadian Defense Ministry says it has received official approval from Iraqi authorities to supply Kurdish Peshmerga forces with light weapons, communication tools, defense equipment and medicine to help them fight Islamic State terrorists in Iraq.

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Canada had requested the Iraqi government to send an official endorsement on the arms delivery to the Kurdish forces and we have received Baghdads official endorsement, signed in December of last year, the Canadian Defense Ministrys Communications Advisor Dominique Tessie told Kurdish media outlet Xendan on Monday, Kurdistan 24 reported.

The deliveries, which aim to assist the Iraqi government and allied militias, including those led by the Kurds, to drive Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) out from Iraqi territory, are said to include anti-tank missiles, rifles, handguns, medical supplies, means of communications as well as optical and protective equipment.

"The acquisition of the equipment is under way, the ministry said in a statement on Monday, as cited by Sputnik, stressing that it is poised to hand over the items as quickly as possible, in line with suppliers ability to provide the quantities sought.

While no exact timeframe has been announced as to when the armaments will be delivered to Iraq, the bidding process has reportedly begun already. The ministry is currently working on adequate controls that would ensure the forwarded equipment will be used according to the stated objective.

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Back in December, Canada pledged military aid to the Kurdish forces caught in a war with IS alongside Iraqi government, as its defense minister, Harjit Sajjan took a trip to the Kurdistan Region. In January, Daniel Le Bouthillier, spokesman for Canadas National Defense revealed the shipments total value will amount to $9,5 million, adding that Canadian authorities have been in search of potential suppliers.He also said the ministry was drafting contracts to safeguard the use of weapons to be signed by the Iraqi and Kurdish regional authorities.

READ MORE: Erdogans accusations of US supporting terrorists a parting shot for Obama

Canada is a member of the US-led coalition battling Islamic State in Iraq. Earlier, allegations that the US has been supplying arms to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) drew ire from its ally Turkey. In December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went as far as to accuse Washington of supporting terrorists in Syria.

We are your NATO ally. How on Earth can you support terrorist organizations and not us? Are these terrorist organizations your NATO allies? Erdogan said.

In its turn, Washington dismissed the claims as ludicrous, saying that it had not supplied any weapons or explosive devices to either YPG or the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), both of which are outlawed in Turkey.

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Canada to arm Kurdish forces fighting ISIS in Iraq reports - RT

BAGHDAD The U.S. embassy in Baghdad said on Monday it has limited the movement of its personnel after receiving "credible threats of possible attacks on hotels frequented by Westerners".

"As a reminder, U.S. citizens should maintain a heightened sense of security awareness and take appropriate measures to enhance their personal security at all times when living and working in Iraq," an emergency security message for U.S. citizens on the embassy's website said.

It did not give details on the nature of threat.

U.S. authorities advised citizens to avoid traveling to Iraq citing the risk of being kidnapped by armed political groups or criminal gangs and bombings by the group Islamic State.

Three defense contractors kidnapped in January 2016 in Baghdad and released a month later were the first Americans kidnapped in Iraq since U.S. troops pulled out in 2011.

Iraq is one of seven majority-Muslim countries that are subject to President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban, which Iraq's government has said is unfair.

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US Embassy in Iraq Reports Threat Against Baghdad Hotels - NBCNews.com

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 6, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in 18 engagements in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes destroyed five oil wellheads.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, seven strikes destroyed nine oil tanker trucks, six oil wellheads and a pumpjack.

-- Near Raqqa, six strikes destroyed three tunnels, an artillery system, a vehicle bomb and an ISIL headquarters.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted nine strikes in 27 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraqs government:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroyed two ISIL-held buildings and damaged a tunnel.

-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building and a command-and-control node.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes destroyed 23 ISIL-held buildings, an ISIL headquarters and a front-end loader; and damaged 14 supply routes and a tunnel.

-- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed three bunkers.

-- Near Rawah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a tactical vehicle and a vehicle bomb.

-- Near Tuz, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL-held buildings and a vehicle.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq > U.S. DEPARTMENT ... - Department of Defense

A dissident's guide to defying President Trump Sacramento Bee Years ago, he'd been in the same spot, becoming one of a handful of officials who quit the Bush administration to protest the Iraq War. These days, government personnel are seeking his counsel and that of other high-profile dissenters as they struggle ... and more »

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A dissident's guide to defying President Trump - Sacramento Bee