The Kurdistan Democratic Party expects a delay in the formation of the Iraqi government due to “regional and international interference”.

The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc in the Iraqi parliament, Shakhwan Abdullah, predicted on Tuesday that the formation of the next federal government, headed by Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zidi, would be postponed until next week, attributing the reason to international and regional interventions.

Abdullah told reporters that the ministries, in terms of their distribution among the three political components (Shiites, Kurds, and Sunnis), have been completed, but there are some obstacles that may prevent the vote on the government within the Iraqi parliament, represented by regional and international interventions, describing these interventions as a “reality that cannot be ignored” imposed since 2003, which played a role in the formation of successive governments after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

He pointed out that the interventions have brought about changes in some positions regarding some forces that want to participate in the new government, which they are not allowed to do, but there is insistence from some parties on their active participation, in reference to the American “veto” that rejects the involvement of armed factions in the Iraqi government.

The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc concluded his statement by saying: These interventions may delay the formation of the government for several days, and if an agreement is not reached tonight, the process of granting confidence will be postponed until next week.

Shafaq.com

For the first time since the region’s unrest, Iraq resumes exporting gas condensates to global markets.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil for Gas Affairs, Izzat Saber Ismail, announced on Tuesday that the Basra Gas Company had successfully resumed loading and exporting a shipment of condensate, after a forced halt due to the repercussions of the unrest that accompanied shipping and export operations in the region.

Ismail said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that Basra Gas Company was able to complete the loading of the tanker Dakosh with 50,000 cubic meters of condensates, stressing that the operation was completed successfully and in full compliance with the requirements of the tenders and the approved technical and commercial standards.

He added that the tanker departed today, after completing the technical and logistical procedures, noting that “this achievement was made possible thanks to the Ministry’s follow-up and the efforts of the staff of Basra Gas Company, and through continuous communication with the relevant authorities in the related companies, which contributes to overcoming challenges and ensuring the smooth flow of export operations.”

The Undersecretary for Gas Affairs affirmed that “the achievements made during times of crisis are evidence of success, perseverance, and a high sense of responsibility,” expressing his hope that the loading and flow of tankers will continue normally in the coming days, which will contribute to strengthening the stability of export operations and fulfilling obligations towards contracting parties.

Ismail pointed out that the Ministry and Basra Gas Company continue to support gas investment operations and maximize the benefit from hydrocarbon products, which enhances national revenues and supports the energy sector in Iraq.

Shafaq.com

Badr Bloc: Al-Zaydi will face failure if he does not present his cabinet on Thursday.

MP Shaker Abu Turab Al-Tamimi, from the Badr parliamentary bloc, revealed on Tuesday that disagreements continue within the Coordination Framework forces regarding the distribution of ministries, warning that Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zidi will fail to form a government if he does not present his cabinet by next Thursday.

Al-Tamimi told Shafaq News Agency that “there are major disagreements between the blocs of the Coordination Framework regarding the ministries of oil, interior and finance, and these disagreements have delayed the submission of the ministerial cabinet to the House of Representatives.”

He added that “political blocs must consider the country’s interest and give up the principle of ‘I want this ministry or that one’”.

He pointed out that “the Ministry of Interior is the entitlement of the Badr bloc, but after it became clear that there was a major disagreement over this ministry, we gave it up, and we took two ministries that are less than our political entitlement, namely communications and transportation, and the naming of the two ministries has not been decided yet.”

Al-Tamimi explained that “the designated prime minister may present the cabinet to the House of Representatives next Thursday, and if he is unable to do so, he will fail to form the next government.”

He stressed that “the parliament’s failure to hold a confidence vote session on Thursday means that there are political parties that want to thwart the designated prime minister and prevent him from forming a government.”

Earlier today, the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc in the Iraqi parliament, Shakhwan Abdullah, predicted that the announcement of the formation of the next federal government, headed by Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zidi, would be postponed until next week, attributing the reason to international and regional interventions.

Previous political leaks to Shafaq News Agency indicated that Al-Zidi intended to present about 14 ministerial portfolios to Parliament for confidence, amidst ongoing disputes between political forces over some sovereign and security ministries, particularly oil and defense, coinciding with the circulation of names of candidates for a number of ministries and senior positions.

Parliamentary sources also spoke of a political agreement to pass the government of Ali Faleh al-Zaidi during this week, after the ministerial program was submitted to the parliament’s presidency.

Al-Zaydi was tasked with forming the government on April 27, 2026, succeeding Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.

Shafaq.com

Iraqi crude oil takes center stage amid rising global oil prices

Iraqi crude oil topped the list of gains in global oil markets on Tuesday, driven by rising futures contracts for most global and Arab crudes, amid continued volatility in global energy markets.

Basra Medium crude stood out among the highest-priced crudes in global and Arab markets, recording $118.09 per barrel, an increase of 4.85%, while Basra Heavy crude recorded $115.99 per barrel, an increase of 4.94%, ahead of a number of major Gulf crudes.

Globally, West Texas Intermediate crude rose to $98.84 a barrel, up 0.79%, while Brent crude reached $104.80 a barrel, up 0.57%.

In the Gulf markets, UAE crude Murban rose to $103.60 a barrel, an increase of 4.84%, after having recorded $101.50 a barrel, an increase of 2.71%.

Saudi Arabia’s Arab Extra Light crude rose to $113.67 a barrel, up 5.28%, while Arab Light crude reached $113.17, a 5.30% increase. Kuwait Export Crude, however, fell 5.18% to $114.23 a barrel.

In the UAE, Upper Zakum crude rose by 6.66% to reach $100.25 per barrel, and Qatari Al-Shaheen crude also rose by the same percentage, amid a broad upward trend in Gulf crudes.

In contrast, the OPEC basket fell to $107.66 a barrel, a decrease of 4.10%, and the Indian basket dropped to $102.52 a barrel, a decrease of 8.85%.

Shafaq.com

The cabinet reshuffle opens a new crisis… The new government is caught between the dilemma of political balance and the points system.

Political activity is accelerating in Baghdad, amid a race against time to form the new cabinet. Negotiations have entered a complex phase among political forces seeking to secure their shares of sovereign and service-oriented ministries. As the deadline approaches, technical and political complications have surfaced, hindering the official announcement. Conflicting views persist regarding the mechanism for distributing ministerial spoils, around which power centers are concentrated. Meanwhile, the prime minister-designate and his supporting committees are attempting to decipher the complex “points system” and overcome the obstacle of rotation, which some parties reject while others insist upon it.

This has left the government formation process open to all possibilities in the coming hours. In this context, Mohammed Daham, a leader in the Azm Alliance, revealed the lack of a final agreement among political blocs regarding the mechanism for “rotating” major ministries. Daham explained to the Information Agency that “consultations have not yet led to common understandings regarding the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Education, and Higher Education, in addition to the service-oriented portfolios.”
He indicated that his alliance “submitted its list of candidates independently,” expecting that “Azm” would receive one sovereign ministry in addition to the Ministry of Culture, pinning hopes on a resolution in the coming hours if “a consensus formula is reached that guarantees political balance.”

On the other side, the situation within the Coordination Framework does not appear any easier, as numerical calculations have hindered the finalization of ministerial quotas.
Abeer al-Husseini, a member of the political bureau of the Hikma Movement, told Al-Maalouma that “technical disagreements still exist regarding the distribution of sovereign portfolios allocated to the framework’s components,” emphasizing that “the obstacle to a resolution lies in the mechanism for implementing the adopted points system.” She stressed that negotiations are seeking to overcome the overlapping ministerial demands to ensure that each bloc receives its due based on its electoral weight.

With the activity continuing in the corridors of power, the situation remains contingent on overcoming the points “veto” and distributing the sovereign spoils, while the public awaits the formation of a government capable of meeting the demands of the current stage, far removed from the power-sharing conflicts that continue to cast their shadow over the negotiating scene.

Almaalomah.me

Parliamentary warning against the birth of a “deformed government”: Don’t rush

The head of the Wasit parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Al-Mayahi, warned on Monday against rushing the formation of the new government, considering that this could lead to the “birth of a deformed government.”

Al-Mayahi told Shafaq News Agency, “There is still plenty of time for the designated Prime Minister Ali al-Zidi to present the cabinet to the House of Representatives, and the legal and constitutional period is still in its early stages, and haste may result in a distorted government.”

He added that he “rules out the possibility of the designated prime minister presenting the cabinet to the House of Representatives during this week, as there is enough time to finalize it and present it to Parliament.”

He pointed out that “the next ten days will witness the determination of the identity of the next government, and there is a national consensus on forming the government, and a session to grant confidence is expected to be held at the beginning of next week.”

Al-Mayahi stressed that “the person tasked with forming the government has not been sufficiently informed about the names of the candidates for ministerial portfolios,” indicating that “the government is not formed hastily, and that there is an electoral entitlement and a political balance that governs the formation of the next government.”

Previous political leaks to Shafaq News Agency indicated that Prime Minister-designate Ali Falih al-Zaidi intended to present approximately 14 ministerial portfolios to Parliament for a vote of confidence, amidst ongoing disputes among political forces over some sovereign and security ministries, particularly oil and defense, while names of candidates for several ministries and senior positions were being circulated.

Parliamentary sources had spoken of a political agreement to pass the government of Ali Faleh al-Zaidi during this week, after the ministerial program was submitted to the parliament’s presidency.

Al-Zaydi was tasked with forming the government on April 27, 2026, succeeding Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.

Shafaq.com

The Dukan Dam is nearing full capacity; it is less than two meters away from its maximum capacity.

The administration of the Dukan Dam in Sulaymaniyah Governorate announced on Monday that the water level in the dam continues to rise daily, confirming that the dam is now only 1.80 meters away from being fully filled.

The dam’s director, Kocher Jamal, told Shafaq News Agency that “the water levels in the dam are rising daily, and currently only 1.80 meters remain for the dam to reach full capacity.”

He added that “the continuation of water inflows to the dam at the current rates increases the likelihood of the Dokan Dam reaching full capacity during this year.”

He noted that “the current water levels in the dam are similar to the levels recorded during 2003 and 2016.”

This year, the Kurdistan Region witnessed several waves of rain and snowfall, unlike previous years, which contributed to the revitalization of rivers and valleys and the rise in water levels in dams in various parts of the region.

The Dokan Dam was built in 1959 on the Little Zab River in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. It is the oldest strategic dam in Iraq, distinguished by its concrete arch design with a height of 116 meters, and its lake can hold 6.8 billion cubic meters of water.

The dam plays a pivotal role in generating hydroelectric power, regulating irrigation of vast agricultural areas, as well as being a major tourist destination in the Kurdistan Region.

Shafaq.com

Assassination attempt on Khamenei prompts North Korea to link its leader’s life to the “nuclear button”.

North Korea has introduced a constitutional amendment that gives leader Kim Jong Un direct authority over the nuclear arsenal and obliges the military to carry out an immediate nuclear strike in the event of his assassination or incapacitation.

According to reports based on a South Korean intelligence briefing, Pyongyang approved the amendment during a meeting of the Supreme People’s Assembly at the end of March, before its contents emerged in conjunction with the escalation of international debate on the security of political leaders following the killing of Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli strikes that took place on February 28.

Asian diplomatic sources say the amendment directly links Kim Jong Un’s security to the mechanism for using nuclear weapons, in a message to Washington and Seoul regarding any potential plans to target the center of power in North Korea.

The sources said the new text makes tampering with the leadership approach to the command and control system of the nuclear arsenal, and places any operation against Kim within a “highly sensitive” military level.

For his part, a former US diplomat who worked on deterrence files in East Asia said that Khamenei’s killing had a “direct impact” on Pyongyang’s calculations, noting that Kim Jong Un treated the incident as a “personal and political warning,” which prompted him to amend the constitution to link his safety to the decision on nuclear retaliation.

He added that the amendment targets US deterrence plans, as Pyongyang considers targeting the leadership as targeting the nuclear system itself, making any attempt to isolate Kim or paralyze the decision-making center a direct cause for a pre-planned nuclear move.

Since the 2022 Nuclear Policy Act, North Korea has broadened the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, linking an automatic strike to a compromise of its command and control system, before enshrining its status as a nuclear state in its constitution in 2023.

The 2026 amendment gives an additional dimension to this path, as it makes Kim Jong Un’s person part of the definition of the threat to the nuclear system itself, while authorizing the nuclear command apparatus to use nuclear forces in the event of the leader’s absence or loss of contact with the military establishment.

Observers believe the amendment sends direct messages to the United States, South Korea, and Japan, amid escalating military exercises, missile tests, and ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Shafaq.com

The specter may not leave… The finance portfolio occupies Al-Zidi’s mind, and controversy surrounds a “suspicious” figure.

On Monday, informed sources revealed the most prominent figures competing for the position of Minister of Finance within the anticipated government formation, with the possibility of Taif Sami continuing in her position, at a time when consultations are continuing within the forces of the Coordination Framework to decide on the ministerial portfolios.

According to sources who spoke to Shafaq News Agency, Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi asked the framework forces to give him the Ministries of Finance and Interior, and that he would personally select competent individuals to manage them, after the Hikma Movement obtained the Ministry of Finance portfolio as part of the ongoing political understandings.

Sources indicate that the names being considered for the Ministry of Finance are topped by (Mohammed Saheb Al-Daraji) as the most likely candidate for the position, along with the Director General of Al-Rafidain Bank (Ali Karim Hussein) as another candidate for the ministry.

The nomination of the director of Rafidain Bank comes amid a previous controversy and accusations against him regarding files related to the bank, as Finance Minister Taif Sami had issued a decision to suspend the bank director and more than 20 officials and employees on suspicion of manipulating the sale of dollars at Baghdad International Airport, in addition to other administrative and financial violations.

However, the minister later reversed her decision and lifted the suspension of the employees covered by the investigation, according to an official document, amid reports that the file was subjected to political pressure that led to its settlement and the closure of the investigation without recommendations to impose penalties on the accused.

One of the sources told Shafaq News Agency that there is information circulating regarding other files related to Al-Rafidain Bank concerning suspicions of money laundering, waste, and mismanagement.

Last August, US Congressman Joe Wilson accused the state-owned Rafidain Bank, managed by Ali Karim Hussein, of conducting financial transactions with the Houthi group in Yemen, threatening to cut off US financial funding to Iraq.

The bank’s branch in Abu Dhabi also committed financial and administrative violations, in addition to monitoring indicators of mismanagement, which prompted the UAE Central Bank to impose “large financial” fines on the branch.

Shafaq.com

Bloomberg reveals Tehran’s demands that Trump rejected

Bloomberg, citing informed sources, revealed on Monday that Iran presented a set of demands during indirect negotiations with the United States, which were rejected by US President Donald Trump.

The agency said Tehran demanded the lifting of the naval blockade imposed on it, the easing of sanctions, and the retention of a degree of control over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

She added that Iran also insisted that any agreement must lead to an immediate cessation of fighting in Lebanon.

According to the sources, the Iranian demands also included the release of frozen Iranian assets and the lifting of US sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

US President Donald Trump rejected the Iranian response on Sunday evening regarding the US proposal to end the war, saying it was “completely unacceptable”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that Tehran had sent “generous” demands in response to the US proposal to end the war, noting that its responses guaranteed the interests of the countries in the region.

The ministry spokesman, Ismail Baghaei, said that Tehran had presented reasonable, logical and generous demands, which included the interests of the entire region and not just the interests of Iran.

Shafaq.com