On March 14, Trump met with Iraqi Prime Minister Zaidi, stating that "the United States and Iraq are establishing a large-scale new oil partnership." Commodity market observer Jack Prandelli interprets this statement as implying that Chevron is negotiating to acquire oil field assets previously operated by Russia's Lukoil, HKN Energy plans to achieve a daily production target of 140,000 barrels at the Hamlin oil field, and Halliburton manages the Bin Umar and Sinbad oil fields in the south. The official reason given is to diversify risks in the Strait of Hormuz, reduce Russian dominance in Iraq's energy sector, and plan to build a new pipeline route through Turkey to the Mediterranean. Prandelli believes this reflects the US energy leverage theory now being applied to the crude oil and infrastructure sectors, not just the natural gas sector.
