Border oil dispute worsens fears on Iran's influence over Iraqi government

BAGHDAD — A dispute between Iraq and Iran over an inactive oil well has become a rallying cry for Iraqi nationalists and exacerbated fears of excessive Iranian influence in Baghdad.

The fight for Fakka oil well No. 4 began late last month when a contingent of 11 Iranian troops occupied the relatively insignificant well in Iraq’s Maysan province near the shared border. Forces from both sides are now dug in a few hundred yards apart, the oil well between them, about 250 miles east of Baghdad.

The incident has inflamed passions in Iraq over two deeply sensitive subjects: sovereignty and oil.

Iraqi and Iranian officials began talks this week to settle the dispute. But in Iraq, the incident has turned into a litmus test for political parties and candidates running in nationwide elections scheduled for early March.

Washington Post