“The linchpin of our approach to Iraq is that autonomy that the Kurdish population has in that part of the country, and part of that is allowing them the economic lifeline that allows them to prosper and succeed,” Rubio said while testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
His remarks followed the signing of two major energy agreements between Washington and Erbil valued at a combined $110 billion over their lifespans during Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s visit to the US.
The two deals, signed between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and US-based energy companies HKN Energy and WesternZagros, granted the American firms the rights to develop two oil and gas fields in the Kurdistan Region.
“The Iraqi officials have expressed interest in a closer, better relationship with the United States and we have explained to them that the core to that is the respect for the companies that are operating in that country, from our country, operating within Iraq, also respect, as I said, for the autonomy of the Kurds,” Rubio stressed.
Rubio was responding to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson, a staunch supporter of the Kurdistan Region, who reiterated to Prime Minister Barzani on Tuesday his “firm support for a strong and prosperous Kurdistan Region” and lauded the recent energy deals.
He also condemned “growing” Iranian influence in the Iraqi government and said it “poses a great danger to the United States
Honor to meet KRG Prime Minister @masrourbarzani. Furious that @IraqiGovt PM @mohamedshia and his @iqministryofoil would oppose US investments to develop Iraqi gas which is essential to stop Iranian imports. US investments in @Kurdistan will always be supported by the US. pic.twitter.com/wKJIFPaUFA
— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) May 20, 2025
The US has been one of the primary backers of the Kurdistan Region since the latter secured autonomy in the 1990s and brokered a crucial ceasefire between the Region’s largest parties - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - in 1998 in Washington, that ended the Kurdish civil war.
Washington has also played an instrumental role in developing the Kurdish Peshmerga forces with financial and military support, and has led a global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) since the jihadists took over swathes of northern and western Iraq in 2014. It is also the primary supporter of the ongoing reforms to the Peshmerga forces.
The US is also set to open the largest consulate general in the world in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil soon.
