Al-Maliki sets 5 conditions for Al-Sudani: otherwise there will be no prime minister

On Wednesday, a source within the coordination framework revealed details of the last meeting of the Shiite House forces, which was dominated by an atmosphere of tension and conflict due to the intransigence of the two main candidates, Muhammad Shia al-Sudani and Nouri al-Maliki, regarding their right to obtain the title of the next Prime Minister.

According to a source within the coordination framework speaking to Shafaq News Agency, Maliki has set several conditions for the candidate the framework will choose to head the next government, including Sudani. Among these conditions are that he not be at the top of the lists for the upcoming provincial council and parliamentary elections, and that he not run in them at all, and that the person who will assume the position be an (office manager) from outside the alliance led by the next prime minister.

According to the source, the conditions of the leader of the State of Law Coalition also stipulated the formation of a follow-up committee from the coordination framework within the government office (the Prime Minister’s office), in addition to setting a period of (100) days to test the new government, noting that the State Forces Alliance, led by Ammar al-Hakim, also suggested that there should be no tripartite budget by the new government.

According to the source, the framework is awaiting the Sudanese approval of the above conditions, after which the date of the next meeting will be set for the final agreement on announcing the candidate and the map for distributing the government cabinet, according to parliamentary and political entitlement, stressing that these conditions have the full support and approval of the “Shia House” forces.

Since the ratification of the election results held in November 2025, the Coordination Framework has begun holding meetings and discussions among its members and with other parties to decide on the position of Prime Minister, which is allocated to the Shiite component according to the custom established after 2003.

The leaders of the framework held their 257th regular meeting last Monday evening at the office of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and discussed a number of topics on the agenda and the latest developments in the domestic and international scenes.

The participants stressed the need to resolve the national entitlement by appointing the Prime Minister, along with the rest of the electoral entitlements, in accordance with the constitutional contexts and the requirements of the next stage.

Shafaq.com

Iraq’s gold reserves remain stable at 170 tons… An expert explains the reasons

The World Gold Council announced on Wednesday that Iraq maintained its global ranking with reserves exceeding 170 tons of gold, without any change.

The council stated in its latest statistics for January, which were reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, that Iraq maintained its 29th position globally out of 100 countries that possess the largest reserves of the precious metal.

He explained that Iraq’s gold reserves amounted to 170.9 tons, equivalent to 22.1% of its total other hard currency reserves, ranking fourth at the Arab level after Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Algeria.

It is worth noting that the World Gold Council, which is based in the United Kingdom, includes the world’s largest gold mining companies and has extensive experience in analyzing market trends and factors affecting the price of the precious metal.

For his part, economist Mohammed Al-Hassani confirmed that data from the World Gold Council showed that Iraq’s gold reserves remained stable without any change, despite the clear fluctuations in global markets, with a number of countries moving to strengthen their gold holdings as a safe haven.

Al-Hassani explained to Shafaq News Agency that this stability reflects a cautious monetary policy followed by the Central Bank of Iraq, which aims to maintain financial stability and avoid buying at high price levels, while keeping the option of moving in the future linked to global market developments and economic conditions.

Shafaq.com

Jordan seeks to renew its agreement to import Iraqi oil for an additional year.

Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources revealed on Wednesday that it is seeking to renew the memorandum of understanding for importing Iraqi oil under the same terms and specifications as the previous agreement.

The ministry confirmed in a statement that it is holding talks with the Iraqi side to renew the memorandum of understanding between the two countries for the import of Iraqi oil for an additional year, after the previous memorandum expired on June 26, 2025, which was extended until the end of last year.

The ministry said that the Jordanian Petroleum Refinery in Zarqa received 891,388 barrels of Iraqi crude oil during the period from October 5 to December 31, 2025, in completion of the previous memorandum of understanding signed between the governments of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Republic of Iraq, which was extended on September 17.

According to the memo, this measure comes to complete the quantities that were not loaded during the past period for logistical reasons, as loading was resumed on October 5 and ended on December 31, 2025.

This step comes within the framework of strengthening ongoing cooperation between Jordan and Iraq in the energy sector, and consolidating economic relations between the two countries, in a way that serves common interests and contributes to achieving energy security for the Kingdom.

Shafaq.com

“Iran protests”: Pezeshkian calls for non-aggression against demonstrators

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday called on law enforcement agencies not to use violence against protesters, stressing the right of citizens to peacefully express their views.

This came during official statements he made on the sidelines of a government meeting, at a time when protests continue in several Iranian cities over social and political issues.

Pezeshkian said the government is fulfilling its responsibilities towards citizens and is striving to ensure public safety and the right to expression, calling on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any escalation that would worsen the current situation.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump warned Iran that it would be “hit very hard” if more protesters were killed during the protests, which have entered their second week, over deteriorating living conditions.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “We are watching the situation very closely. If they start killing people like they have done in the past, I think they are going to get a very strong hit from the United States.”

On the economic front, the Iranian rial hit a new record low against the dollar last Sunday, according to the unofficial black market rate, with the price of one dollar exceeding 1.4 million rials, compared to about 820,000 rials a year ago.

Shafaq.com

Iraq is making progress towards joining the World Trade Organization.

The International Trade Centre, a United Nations agency, confirmed that Iraq has made clear progress in its steps towards joining the World Trade Organization.

Eric Bochot, the director of the International Trade Centre’s programs in Iraq, which is affiliated with the United Nations, told Al-Sabah: “The process of Iraq joining the World Trade Organization is still ongoing, and has witnessed progress in several important stages at the national and international levels.”

Bushot added that this progress includes the establishment and reactivation of the Iraq Working Group at the World Trade Organization, the revival of national coordination mechanisms, technical reviews of trade-related legislation, communication with member states of the organization, as well as preparatory work related to market access and regulatory harmonization.

The UN official stressed that what has been accomplished so far reflects a continued commitment to aligning the Iraqi trade system with multilateral rules, although additional steps are still required.

For his part, economist Nabil Al-Tamimi said that the government and the Ministry of Trade are working hard to join the World Trade Organization.

Al-Tamimi added to Al-Sabah that “joining requires several procedures, including legislative and legal amendments, in order for Iraq to meet the conditions for joining this organization, noting that the legislative process in Iraq may suffer from slowness for several reasons.”

Al-Tamimi explained that these steps were accompanied by procedural obligations that are part of the conditions for joining the organization.

Alsabaah.iq

Ports Director: Operations at the Grand Faw Port will begin this year, 2026.

The Director General of Iraqi Ports, Farhan Al-Fartousi, announced today, Monday, that Iraqi ports ended 2025 with advanced operational and financial indicators, stressing the company’s readiness to enter 2026 with economic and commercial change plans, while indicating the start of operations during 2026 for the Grand Faw Port.
Al-Fartousi said during a press conference that “the total weight capacity of the ports reached about (43.32) million tons in 2025, compared to (39.20) million tons in 2024, while the operational capacity of oil derivatives increased to (15.593) million tons compared to (13.741) million tons in the previous year.”

He added that “the total container handling during 2025 reached about (2.094) million containers, compared to about (1.080) million containers in 2024, which reflects growth in commercial activity and import movement.”

He pointed out that “the company’s revenues in 2025 amounted to about 1.25 trillion Iraqi dinars, compared to 1.063 trillion dinars in 2024,” noting that “the results reflect an improvement in operational efficiency and financial stability.”

In the energy sector, he indicated that “the company has made significant progress in preparing the navigation channel and the docks for the floating gas station (FSRU),” explaining that “the company undertook the preparation of the designs and financed the project with approximately (133) million dollars, in coordination with the relevant government agencies.”

Regarding the Grand Faw Port, Al-Fartousi confirmed “the start of initial operational steps that included receiving ships and opening shipping lines, with continued work on connection and infrastructure projects, including the connecting road, in preparation for starting operations during 2026.”

He concluded by saying that “the company seeks to enhance regional and international connectivity and integrate Iraqi ports into global supply chains, with 2026 being a turning point in commercial and operational performance.”

Alforatnews.iq

Al-Badri and Al-Shatri are the leading candidates… The coordinating body will decide in today’s meeting.

On Monday, Fahd al-Jubouri, a leader in the Hikma Movement, revealed the priorities of the meeting of the leaders of the coordinating framework that includes the Shiite forces, which is scheduled to be held this evening, to decide on the selection of the new prime minister and the issue of electoral entitlements.

Al-Jubouri told Shafaq News Agency that “the priorities of today’s coordination framework meeting will focus on the mechanism for selecting the prime minister and choosing a name from among the nine names put forward for discussion. There are internal understandings to reach three people, and a name may be put forward from outside the nine nominated names, but the framework meeting will be dedicated to choosing a name from among these names.”

He added that “the meeting will also focus on the importance of urging the Kurdish political establishment to choose a single representative for the position of President of the Republic, in addition to discussing the electoral entitlements related to ministries and other positions, as there is a committee formed by the framework in this regard, headed by Nouri al-Maliki, which will discuss the results of its work.”

Al-Jubouri pointed out that “the names currently being considered for the premiership are Basim al-Badri and Hamid al-Shatri, and these two figures have a strong chance of assuming the premiership during the next phase, with the possibility of adding a third name from outside the nine names in the event that they are not agreed upon by the forces of the Coordination Framework.”

The leader of the Wisdom Movement concluded his remarks by saying that “there is no political deadlock within the coordination framework regarding the nomination of the prime minister, contrary to what some are promoting. Dialogues are ongoing and negotiations are underway, and there are bilateral and trilateral meetings between the parties of the coordination framework. Therefore, there is no political deadlock, and within a few days the new prime minister agreed upon by the forces of the coordination framework will be announced.”

For his part, MP Amer Al-Fayez, a leader in the Coordination Framework, confirmed that the framework will hold a meeting this evening to discuss the mechanism for selecting the Prime Minister, indicating that today’s meeting will not decide on the name of the candidate for this position.

The winner told Shafaq News Agency that there are nine candidates being considered for the position of Prime Minister, namely Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Nouri al-Maliki, Haider al-Abadi, Qasim al-Araji, Basim al-Badawi, Hamid al-Shatri, Ali al-Shukri, in addition to three other candidates.

He added that the decision on the coordinating framework’s candidate for the position of Prime Minister may be delayed, but this matter will be decided as soon as possible.

It is worth noting that a source revealed to Shafaq News Agency yesterday that the leaders and chiefs of the Shiite House will hold their periodic meeting this evening, Monday, which will be dedicated to discussing the paths or mechanisms for deciding the identity of the Prime Minister.

The Coordination Framework forces affirm that there is no political deadlock in the selection of the next Prime Minister, stressing their commitment to the constitutional timelines, and considering that the resolution of this position will come in its final stage after the election of the President of the Republic.

Members of the framework told Shafaq News Agency that there is progress and convergence within the framework, with political dialogues continuing, pending the completion of the election of the President of the Republic, after which the framework’s candidate will be announced to form the new government in accordance with constitutional procedures.

Shafaq.com

Liquidity crisis in Mosul banks delays the release of payments to outlet owners

On Monday, Abdullah Al-Jiro, the head of the money changers’ union in Nineveh Governorate, revealed a cash liquidity crisis affecting banks in Mosul, which has delayed payments to money changers, prompting some of them to spend the night in front of banks hoping to receive their money.

Al-Jiro told Shafaq News Agency that “banks operating in Mosul are experiencing a clear shortage of cash liquidity, which has directly affected the non-disbursement of dues to the owners of outlets,” explaining that “this crisis is due to the financial deficit that the government announced earlier.”

He added that “a number of outlet owners now spend their nights in front of banks waiting for them to open in the morning, while others are forced to go to other governorates to collect their dues, which burdens them and disrupts their work.”

According to Al-Jiro, “the continuation of this crisis will negatively affect the local economic situation and lead to a loss of confidence between citizens on the one hand, and Key Card Company and government institutions on the other,” calling on the concerned authorities to “find urgent solutions to address the liquidity shortage and restore confidence in the financial system.”

Since the beginning of last month, Iraqi banks have entered a sensitive phase with a decline in available liquidity, amid rising financial obligations and weak cash flow, while parliamentary and economic bodies warn of a widening gap between government spending and oil revenues, which puts the country in a difficult financial situation that directly affects the lives of citizens.

These warnings come at a time when observers fear an alarming increase in the financial challenges facing the Iraqi economy, in light of the announcement that internal debt has risen to about 90 trillion Iraqi dinars (about $69 billion), an unprecedented level in the country.

Shafaq.com

First government comment on the rise in the dollar exchange rate in Iraq

The Prime Minister’s Advisor for Financial Affairs, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, confirmed Sunday, January 4, 2026, that the fluctuation in the exchange rate is “temporary” and does not reflect a structural imbalance, especially since it has practically become detached from the level of income and consumption, and its effect has been transferred to the asset sector, which is not directly related to the stability of daily living.

Saleh said in a statement: “The limited fluctuations witnessed in the parallel exchange market are merely temporary and ineffective reactions that came in response to the launch of the latest fiscal discipline package, which included decisions aimed at re-examining the paths of public spending in general and enhancing the efficiency of public revenues in particular, especially with regard to expanding and controlling tax and customs bases.”

He added, “Such movements are normal market behavior when receiving new signals from fiscal policy, as supply and demand forces tend to test these signals and adapt to them in stages, before returning to more stable paths that are in line with the new economic and financial fundamentals.”

Saleh continued, “Thus, the current fluctuations in the parallel market do not reflect a structural imbalance, but rather represent a temporary adaptation phase to regulatory tools that are essentially aimed at enhancing financial and monetary stability in the medium term. Likewise, the fluctuations observed in the parallel exchange market are limited in impact and do not affect the stability of the general price range in our country, which has maintained a low inflation rate of around 2.5% annually.”

The government advisor pointed out that “this is due to the convergence of three effective economic policies. The first is the monetary policy, which adopts a fixed official exchange rate for the Iraqi dinar against the dollar, at a level of 1,320 dinars per dollar, which provides a stable nominal anchor for prices. The second is the fiscal policy, which exercises support on a wide scale, as support constitutes approximately 13% of the gross domestic product, which mitigates the transmission of price shocks to living standards, especially in basic goods and services.”

He continued, “The third is the trade policy in price defense; in addition to the subsidized food basket, the modern market system (hypermarkets) has emerged as the ‘qualitative countermeasure’ to the effects of the exchange market, as it works to absorb what can be called the ‘colored noise’ resulting from confused information in the parallel exchange market, and transform it into white noise with stable content in terms of prices and consumption.”

Saleh noted that “the parallel exchange market no longer has any significant impact on living standards, after it became practically detached from income and consumption levels, and its impact shifted to the asset sector, which is not directly related to the stability of daily living.”

Burathanews.com

Ministry of Oil: Completion of drilling and rehabilitation of 237 oil wells during 2025

The Iraqi Drilling Company announced on Monday the completion of drilling and rehabilitation of 237 oil wells during 2025. The company’s Director General, Hassan Mohammed Hassan, stated in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The technical and engineering staff of the Iraqi Drilling Company completed the drilling of 62 oil wells and the rehabilitation of 175 oil wells during 2025.”

He added that “the total number of drilling and reclamation works reached 237 wells, distributed among the various Iraqi oil fields from north to south, within the approved technical programs and in accordance with quality and safety standards.”

He also pointed out that “these achievements are the result of the continuous efforts made by the company’s staff, and their high commitment to timelines and technical specifications,” stressing “the company’s continued commitment to carrying out its work with high efficiency and in coordination with national and international oil companies.”

He affirmed that “the Iraqi Drilling Company is continuing to enhance its operational capabilities and develop its technical performance, which contributes to supporting plans to increase and sustain production, and strengthens its pivotal role in supporting the national oil sector and achieving the strategic goals of the Ministry of Oil.”

Burathanews.com