[stuck_in_new_orleans]

I wonder if this could be done to make Russia look neutral OR maybe Iraq and Russia inks a deal and then Saddam goes down and then as compensation Russia would take some Iraqi oil fields and they could say, "But comrade, you owe us 40 billion!"

[Destro]

Ever nation on Earth makes deals with Iraq some big some small. Even American companies are doing so as we speak.

[Destro]

From abcnews: Trading With the Enemy U.S. Refiners Reportedly Buying Most of Iraq's Oil

The U.S. refiners largely obtain their crude oil from Russian firms, or middlemen working through Russian firms. "Everyone makes a commission or gets a rakeoff at every step between the Iraqi oil fields and the U.S. refineries, mostly in [the] southern U.S. states," said a knowledgeable oil industry source. Iraq's preference for Russian traders is becoming evident from the region's oil tanker traffic, sources say. Of the two main ports used by Iraq to exports its "legal" oil, the one used by Russian traders has been seeing much more use.