# What happened to the oil in Iraq **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2009, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936 "2009-02-15T11:22:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jakesteele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@jakesteele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jakesteele)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/1 "2009-02-15T11:22:36Z")
Just before Bush started the Iraqi war, which has turned in a Viet Nam in the desert, the neocons said that the Iraq’s oil would pay for the war. How come we never hear about it, where is it and what happened to it? ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/2 "2009-02-15T13:07:43Z")
I think Iraq is using it. Google iraq oil ministry, iraq pipeline or iraq gas prices. I remember stories about all three over the past few years. I never understood how it was supposed to pay for the war since it’s their oil, not ours, and they didnt ask us to invade or promise to pay for it or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Batfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Batfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batfish)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/3 "2009-02-15T13:18:46Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > I never understood how it was supposed to pay for the war since it’s their oil, not ours, and they didnt ask us to invade or promise to pay for it or anything. Because the freedom-loving Iraqis would be so grateful to us for overthrowing their hated dictator that they would PAY us for invading them. Also, it’ll only take 6 months. Seriously. I have no cites but petroleum production for the first several years was hampered by the ongoing violence. Then the poorly maintained infrastructure. More recently by the lack of political agreement by the Iraqi government on who gets the money. ---
**Author:** ![Batfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Batfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batfish)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/4 "2009-02-15T13:26:47Z")
here’s some reading [almost a year old](http://www.iraqoilreport.com/2008/04/09/iraq-oil-production-drops-slightly-as-baghdad-criticized-for-spending-oil-proceeds/) ---
**Author:** ![Moonshiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@Moonshiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonshiner)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/5 "2009-02-15T14:20:00Z")
> [@jakesteele](#): > > which has turned in a Viet Nam in the desert.. :rolleyes: #1 Google hit for “Iraq oil ministry”: [http://www.oil.gov.iq/](http://www.oil.gov.iq/) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/6 "2009-02-15T15:12:41Z")
> [@jakesteele](#): > > Just before Bush started the Iraqi war, **which has turned in a Viet Nam in the desert** , the neocons said that the Iraq’s oil would pay for the war. How come we never hear about it, where is it and what happened to it? \*bolding mine–samclem **jakesteele**. If you want to talk politics, then don’t open your thread in General Questions. Don’t add opinions, etc. And, to others–try to keep the political comments to a minimum. It just distracts the discussion. **samclem** , Moderator, General Questions ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/7 "2009-02-15T15:52:27Z")
> [@jakesteele](#): > > How come we never hear about it, where is it and what happened to it? Iraq has been selling oil since shortly after the invasion. While there have been a multitude of problems (e.g., violence, infrastructure, lack of agreement on how to distribute profits from sales), production has averaged in the neighborhood of 2 to 2.5 million barrels per day for many years now. Exports make up roughly 75% of the production, and oil sales brought in just over $60 billion in 2008. Those revenues make up a large proportion of Iraq’s budget, and due to the high oil prices over the last couple years, Iraq had built up a considerable budget surplus well into the tens of billions of dollars. There has been criticism that the Iraqi government has been slow to spend this windfall. [Here](http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/115789.pdf) is a PDF that has some up to date information on oil production and financial matters. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/8 "2009-02-15T16:31:45Z")
They’re a member of OPEC and their oil is sold on the free market. Where’s the quandary? ---
**Author:** ![jakesteele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@jakesteele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jakesteele)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-oil-in-iraq/485936/9 "2009-02-15T17:38:49Z")
samclem samclem is offline Moderator Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Akron, Ohio Posts: 13,660 Send a message via AIM to samclem Quote: Originally Posted by jakesteele View Post Just before Bush started the Iraqi war, which has turned in a Viet Nam in the desert, the neocons said that the Iraq’s oil would pay for the war. How come we never hear about it, where is it and what happened to it? \*bolding mine–samclem jakesteele. If you want to talk politics, then don’t open your thread in General Questions. Don’t add opinions, etc. I apologize for the political commentary (personal bias). I just meant for it to be a general question.:smack: