An Iraqi worker checks worn-out valves at the al-Doura oil refinery outside Baghdad, September 5,...

An Iraqi worker checks worn-out valves at the al-Doura oil refinery outside Baghdad, September 5, 2002. The refinery is working with limited capacity as many of spare parts can not be replaced due to United Nations sanctions imposed on Iraq, while the oil-rich country is allowed to export only a limited quantity of oil as a part of the "oil-for-food" programme. [U.S. military action against Iraq would aim to control Middle East oil, the world's largest reserves, the official Iraqi News Agency quoted President Saddam Hussein as saying earlier this week.]