Iraqi political parties and the Oil Concessions Law of 1925

Abstract

The issue of oil is one of the most important discoveries that preoccupied the political and economic circles in Iraq, as it began to take up a large role by governments and international oil companies that bound the Iraqi governments to harsh treaties and agreements. The Germans were the first to be aware of the existence of oil sources in the Iraqi provinces. They took the initiative to provide missions from Experts and technicians during the end of the nineteenth century, which in turn confirmed the presence of large quantities of oil, They described it as a lake of oil. Iraq was then under Ottoman rule, which attracted the attention of Sultan Abdul Hamid II to the importance of oil. He issued an order annexing the state of Mosul to his private properties, and decrees were issued restricting negotiations regarding obtaining oil concessions with the private treasury, and after the end of World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire. Britain sought to take over the state of Mosul, invest in oil, and obtain concessions. The British mandate had a great impact by pressuring the Iraqi government to grant it oil concessions. Therefore, Britain was able, through its companies, to obtain the signing of the concession with the Iraqi government in 1925 AD, and it is worth noting the role played by members of political parties who held ministerial positions if they had significant positions in the negotiations that changed some of the decisions related to the signing of oil concessions. These agreements raised public opinion that He expressed his dissatisfaction with this situation, so newspapers presented articles, including Al-Istiqlal newspaper and Al-Alam Al-Arabi newspaper. This research contained an introduction and four main paragraphs, including the issue of Iraqi oil, oil concessions, the role of the Iraqi parties in the negotiations and signing of the concession, the position of the Iraqi press, and a conclusion that included the most important conclusions.