Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali Falih Al-Zaidi has directed oil companies operating in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan to resume operations beginning on Thursday, as OPEC’s second-largest producer scrambles to export crude with the Strait of Hormuz de facto closed. At a meeting with executives from oil companies operating in Kurdistan and top officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Al-Zaidi directed companies to restart activities on Thursday, “emphasizing the importance of joint action and the provision of an…