U.S. says tanker with Iraqi Kurdish oil outside U.S. waters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday a tanker carrying Iraqi Kurdish oil was anchored outside U.S. waters off the coast of Texas and a court order to seize the cargo would only be enforced when the ship entered U.S. territory. A U.S. judge overnight approved a request by Baghdad to seize the disputed cargo worth more than $100 million. "The cargo has not yet entered U.S. jurisdiction," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a daily briefing. "Once it enters U.S. jurisdiction, the court order against the cargo could be enforced," she added. Psaki said the United States believed that oil from Iraqi Kurdistan should be transferred through Iraq's national government in Baghdad. The Kurdistan Regional Government has been pushing to establish its own oil sales, which are seen as a crucial step in the autonomous region's push for independence. "Again, this is a case where because it is not in our jurisdiction, there is little we can do at this point," Psaki added. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Marguerita Choy)