Kuwait’s Minister of Oil Khaled al-Fadhel accompanied a delegation to Iraq led by Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah on 19 June. Following talks, the minister said feasibility studies are underway for joint development of border fields and that he is hopeful “an agreement” will be reached, according to state news agency Kuna. The neighbors reached a preliminary deal as long ago as 2010 that was never finalized. Mr Fadhel also said that “serious steps to link up Iraq with the GCC electricity grid” were being taken. The US is pressuring Iraq to find alternatives to importing electricity from Iran (MEES, 31 May) although it has now granted Baghdad a 120-day extension to continue doing so (MEES, 21 June).