Iraq expert Bilal Wahab says Turkey wants guarantees from Baghdad before allowing Kurdish oil exports to resume

Turkey and Iraq have been mired in a legal dispute over the export of Iraqi Kurdish oil through Turkish export terminals. Baghdad says the deal struck between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds to sell oil is illegal. The International Chamber of Commerce's international arbitration fined Turkey for breach of contract. Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurds have since agreed to resume exports on new terms that gives the central government a greater say. However, Ankara has not allowed the exports to resume. Bilal Wahab, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, believes Turkey wants pledges from Baghdad that it won't seek further compensation for periods uncovered by the arbitration case. The standoff is leading to a huge loss of revenue for the Iraqi Kurds.