Iraq assures South Korea of oil supplies

Iraq said on Friday it had promised South Korea it can make up for oil supply shortages, after an official from Seoul visited Baghdad seeking alternatives if sanctions force Korea to cut purchases from Iran. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani met South Korean Deputy Energy Minister Cho Seok in Baghdad on Thursday. “Shahristani confirmed to the Koreans that Iraq is fully prepared to provide South Korea with crude if needed for the time being, and liquefied natural gas in the future, especially after the rise in Iraqi production, which exceeded 3 million barrels per day,” Shahristani’s spokesman Faisal Abdullah said.