Iraq on Friday restarted exports of Kirkuk oil, halted a year ago due to a standoff between the central government and Kurdistan’s semi-autonomous region, after a new government in Baghdad agreed a tentative deal with Erbil. The development is a win for the U.S. government, which has been urging both sides to settle the dispute and resume flows to help address a shortage of Iranian crude in the region after Washington imposed new sanctions on Tehran. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Twitter that resumption of exports of Kirkuk oil was “another important step in our efforts to reduce Iran’s oil exports.” Flows resumed at a modest level of around 50,000-60,000 barrels per day (bpd) compared with a peak of 300,000 bpd […]