WesternZagros Resources Ltd

WesternZagros Resources Ltd.: Block K44's Prospective Resources Now Exceed 1 Billion Barrels of Oil and 1.75 Billion Barrels of Oil Equivalent

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - Feb. 22, 2011) -

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WesternZagros Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:WZR) ("WesternZagros" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the latest in a series of independent audits by Sproule International Limited ("Sproule") of WesternZagros' resource assessments. This audit, together with the previous audit results announced on December 16, 2010 and January 17, 2011, increases the combined mean estimate of gross unrisked prospective resources on the Company's Kalar-Bawanoor exploration block ("Block K44") to 1,092 million barrels of oil, or 1,771 million barrels of oil equivalent when gas and condensate are included.

This latest audit by Sproule covered stacked reservoirs in three of the Company's multiple prospect areas, all located on the Company's Block K44 in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The audit included: the Oligocene, Eocene and Cretaceous reservoir intervals at the Qulijan prospect; the Oligocene and Eocene reservoirs at the Baran prospect; and the Oligocene, Eocene and Cretaceous reservoirs at the Sarqala prospect. The prospective resource assessment numbers provided for the Oligocene, Eocene and Cretaceous reservoirs at the Sarqala prospect are separate and in addition to the prospective resource assessment of the Jeribe reservoir at the Sarqala prospect as previously disclosed in the Company's Material Change Report dated January 17, 2011.

"We're very encouraged by the rising resource estimates for our Block. As well as giving us a clearer picture of the opportunity at Sarqala and Qulijan, this audit also evaluates Baran, a prospect that, like Qulijan, is immediately adjacent to Kurdamir," said Simon Hatfield, WesternZagros' Chief Executive Officer. "In the near-term, we are positioned for a substantial oil discovery, as our rig is currently back at our Sarqala-1 well where we are preparing to drill a 100 metre sidetrack to test the Jeribe reservoir. Meanwhile, Talisman, on the adjacent K-39 Block, is currently drilling their Topkhana well, which should give us valuable and timely information about the highly promising Kurdamir-Topkhana structure prior to drilling our Kurdamir-2 well."

Table 3 provides an estimate of the oil, associated gas, gas condensate and solution gas resources in all the reservoirs included in this latest Sproule audit. The Baran and Qulijan prospects are considered to be promising step out exploration locations to be drilled following success at the Kurdamir-2 well. The deeper reservoirs at the Sarqala prospect will likely be pursued in subsequent appraisal wells following the successful completion of the Sarqala-1 re-entry well which will test the Jeribe reservoir. Tables 1 and 2, as previously disclosed in the Company's Material Change Report dated January 17, 2011, are also provided, herein, to indicate the cumulative total of Contingent and Prospective Resources for Block K44 to date.

The location of the Qulijan, Baran and Sarqala prospects in Block K44 are as indicated in the map located at the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/wzr_map.jpg

The Company continues to assess the potential of other additional prospects and will continue to release audited results as they become available.

Sproule carried out its independent audit in accordance with the current guidelines outlined in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook ("COGE Handbook") and in accordance with National Instrument 51-101 Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities ("NI 51-101"). Pursuant to the COGE Handbook, an audit is the process whereby an independent qualified reserves auditor carries out procedures designed to allow the auditor to provide reasonable assurance that a reporting issuer's reserves data (or specific parts thereof) have, in all material respects, been determined and presented in accordance with the COGE Handbook and are, therefore, free of material misstatement.

Block K44 consists of approximately 2,120 square kilometres of land. WesternZagros holds a 40 per cent working interest in Block K44 pursuant to a Production Sharing Contract ("PSC") with the Kurdistan Regional Government signed on February 28, 2008. Additional information concerning the terms of the PSC can be found in the Corporation's Annual Information Form dated March 25, 2010, which is available at www.sedar.com.