Full Analysis Summary
Khor Mor gas strike
Late on Wednesday a strike hit the Khor Mor gas complex in Iraqi Kurdistan, igniting a fire that was extinguished early Thursday and halting gas production used for regional power.
Multiple outlets report the blast struck a liquid storage or condensate tank, with Dana Gas confirming the strike and firefighters putting out the blaze.
Several accounts say there were no injuries but that gas deliveries were stopped, triggering widespread power outages across northern Iraq and Kurdistan.
The shutdown prompted immediate emergency responses from local authorities and the operator as regions faced sudden electricity shortfalls.
Coverage Differences
terminology and immediate effect
Sources use different terms for the weapon and vary slightly on phrasing of immediate effects: some report a 'rocket' strike, others call it a 'drone' or 'missile' strike, but they consistently report a hit to a storage unit, no casualties, and suspension of gas deliveries that caused wide outages. These differences reflect reporting choices or varying on‑the‑ground descriptions rather than contradictory outcomes.
Khor Mor expansion outage
The damaged tank is part of the KM250 expansion at Khor Mor, a project multiple outlets reported was partly US‑financed and built by a US contractor.
The KM250 works had increased the field’s output by roughly half and enabled expanded gas deliveries.
Reporting emphasizes that the strike occurred after KM250 boosted capacity.
The resulting outage risks a significant loss of generation at power stations that rely on Khor Mor supplies.
Coverage Differences
detail and emphasis on KM250 expansion
Most sources underscore the KM250 expansion's role in boosting capacity, but they emphasize different specifics: Egypt Oil & Gas and ThePrint stress the expansion 'boosted field capacity by roughly 50%' and that it was 'partly U.S.-financed and built by a U.S. contractor'; thenationalnews gives a specific throughput figure for the expansion (750 million scf/d) and links it to 24‑hour electricity. The variation is one of emphasis — all agree the KM250 upgrade made the field more critical to regional power.
disagreement on scale of power loss
Sources disagree on the immediate scale of the electricity hit: several outlets estimate roughly a 3,000 MW drop in Kurdish generation, while the federal ministry cited a smaller 1,200 MW loss to the national grid and another source described up to 80% of the regional grid disrupted. These numeric differences reflect varying baselines (regional vs national figures) and different agency statements.
Casualties and attack pattern
Reporting is consistent that the latest strike caused no immediate deaths or injuries, although the field has endured deadly attacks previously.
Multiple outlets quote Dana Gas and local officials saying no employees were hurt, while other reports say the incident fits a pattern of repeated attacks on Kurdish energy infrastructure, including an April 2024 strike that earlier killed workers.
Coverage Differences
contextual history vs. immediate casualty reporting
While contemporaneous coverage uniformly reports 'no injuries' in this incident, some sources bring in prior events to emphasise a pattern of violence — for example thenationalnews notes an April 2024 strike that killed workers — which changes the tone from a standalone accident to part of an ongoing security problem.
Post-attack investigations and defenses
Kurdish and federal Iraqi leaders immediately moved to investigate and assign blame and demanded better defensive capabilities.
Baghdad and Erbil agreed to set up a joint investigative committee.
Kurdish leaders and some local officials blamed Iran-backed militias or 'terrorist groups' for recurring attacks.
Several outlets reported calls for the United States to allow the KRG to acquire kinetic anti-drone defenses to protect energy infrastructure.
Coverage Differences
attribution and calls for external support
Coverage differs in tone and attribution: some sources (Egypt Oil & Gas, ThePrint, Oman Observer) report local officials 'frequently blame Iran‑backed militias' or point explicitly to Iran‑backed groups, while others (Al Jazeera) emphasise that no one has claimed responsibility and quote leaders urging accountability and investigation. This reflects a split between outlets that foreground local suspicions and those that foreground official caution.
Resumption timeline uncertainty
Coverage diverges over when operations will resume.
Al Jazeera reported that Kurdistan's prime minister and Dana Gas agreed to restart production within hours to restore electricity.
Other outlets say operations were suspended pending damage assessment and safety checks or that an exact resumption time was not given.
Some reports suggest electricity could be restored within 48 hours if the damage is limited to a single tank.
Others cite suspended operations and a fall in Dana Gas shares, underscoring uncertainty about when full flows to power plants would resume.
Coverage Differences
contradiction/ambiguous status of restart
There is a clear divergence: Al Jazeera reports an agreement to 'restart production within hours', framing a quick restoration, whereas kurdistan24.net and ThePrint report production 'remains suspended' or 'operations were suspended' while assessments continue. Modern Diplomacy provides a more minimal note that production was halted and 'did not say when production might resume.' These contrasting lines show ambiguity in timing and different emphases in reporting.