The attack on Khor Mor undercuts the assurances of Iraq’s political leaders

By Sarhang Hamasaeed.

On November 26, 2025, a terrorist attack on Khor Mor gas field – a vital civilian energy infrastructure facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq – caused a major explosion in a storage facility and halted gas production. The incident, one of nearly a dozen in recent years, occurred amid complex domestic and external geopolitical dynamics. The attacker(s) clearly had the intelligence, means, and freedom of operation to conduct a precision strike and inflict damage sufficient to send intended message(s), but not to destroy more critical components of the energy complex.

Although there were no casualties, the halt of gas production had an immediate direct impact on the lives of millions of ordinary citizens who lost electric power. Hospitals, businesses, and other civilian institutions have also been adversely affected. Furthermore, the attack jeopardized the projected growth of the field, which is expected to supply natural gas to the broader Iraqi and, potentially, global markets.

Few actors in Iraq could plan and execute an attack with such a multi-layered impact and apparent impunity. The Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government have since launched a joint investigation into the incident.

[The following part of my analysis was posted by MEPSForum.org on November 28, 2025.]

The attack on Khor Mor undercuts the assurances of Iraq’s political leaders that the country is experiencing political stability. In reality, Iraq is in a phase of fragile calm that such strikes periodically puncture. For nearly a decade, Iraqi civilian and military officials have privately maintained that state security institutions are strong enough to prevent these attacks—often carried out by the same actors who have targeted US interests—yet there remains an insufficient will to use that capability. The strike also reflects an enduring mindset among some groups that political objectives are best pursued through force and intimidation rather than dialogue, persuasion or other civilian means.

The attack on Khor Mor—and on other energy installations earlier this year—undermines not only the Kurdistan Regional Government’s efforts to attract foreign investors but also those of the federal government and its political allies. Iraq’s investment climate may be improving unevenly across sectors, but the spectacle of businesses facing armed drones, rockets and missiles damages the investment prospects of the entire country. Politically, actors who believe they stand to benefit from pressuring the Kurdistan Region or slowing its economic progress are hardly convincing Iraqis that they can govern more effectively.

Stability and economic growth in the Kurdistan Region have helped lay the foundations for more organic ties with the rest of Iraq. The Region hosted more than a million displaced Iraqis during the fight against ISIS; growing numbers of Iraqis now travel to Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah for tourism and business, while professionals and firms from the Region operate increasingly in Baghdad and the south. These are trends worth supporting—not disrupting—through violence from within.

Iraq could, and should, seek the support of the United States and other partners to strengthen its defensive capabilities—especially for detecting and countering threats to its airspace. Until recently, airspace protection was not high on Washington’s priority list, according to Congressman Darin LaHood. But after the Khor Mor strike, US Special Envoy to Iraq Mark Sayava reaffirmed America’s commitment to enhancing the federal government’s defensive capacity, pledging: “Together, we will continue to protect Iraq’s resources, defend its sovereignty, and ensure the security and well-being of all its citizens.” Even so, experience shows that no system of radars or weapons is foolproof—as the attacks on Abqaiq in Saudi Arabia in 2019, on Doha earlier this year, or during the 12-Day Israel–Iran conflict have demonstrated.

The more durable solution lies in a shift in mindset: recognising that violence is no path to resolving political differences. Iraq’s long and bloody history, before and after 2003, offers ample evidence of this. A more inclusive and accelerated effort to implement the “Development Road” project would serve Iraq far better than attacking Khor Mor or squeezing the Kurdistan Region. A bigger, growing economic pie benefits all; a shrinking one benefits no one.