Hussein al-Shahristani

Position: Deputy prime minister for energy, Iraq

Biography: A former nuclear scientist and one-time prisoner of the notorious Abu Ghraib jail, Hussein al-Shahristani was appointed oil minister in May 2006.

For many, his most important achievement was the signing of development contracts for several oil and gas fields since June 2009 with international oil companies. However, his protracted dispute with the Kurdistan Regional Government over the signing of production-sharing agreements with foreign oil companies has caused increased tension in Baghdad.

In December 2010, Al-Shahristani was moved to the newly created role of deputy prime minister for energy, where he continues to wield considerable influence on his previous ministry.

Al-Shahristani graduated in 1965 with a degree in chemical engineering from the UK’s Imperial College London. He also has a master’s and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto in Canada.

Contact: (+964) 1 727 0710
Website: www.moelc.gov.iq