The Iraqi Penal Code (SANCTIONS)  is ready for Trump to sign

Baghdad – news: Deputy parliamentarian Faik Sheikh Ali, Monday, confirmed that the US sanctions on Iraq are ready before US President Donald Trump.

Sheikh Ali said in a tweet on “Twitter”: “Honorable Iraqis: I regret to inform you that the decision to impose US sanctions on Iraq was written by the specialized committee while he is at President Trump’s table for his signature.”

And he added: “O Shiite politicians from the transgressions, whom America bored you from the streets and greeted you with the rule: Trump is waiting for you from one vile act, so that the earth will be lost to you!”

Ikhnews.com

The central bank confirms its continuing to pump the dollar into the market and warns of rumors

{Baghdad: Al Furat News} Today, the Central Bank of Iraq announced its continuation of pumping the dollar to the local market, warning of rumors deliberately broadcast by some media and communication sites.

And the official Iraqi News Agency quoted the bank as saying, “We are continuing to pump the dollar to the market and warn of rumors.”

Today, the dollar exchange rate rose to 123,000 dinars per 100 dollars after Trump’s threats to impose sanctions on Iraq.

Alforatnews.com

Trump threatens sanctions on Baghdad after lawmakers call on U.S. troops to leave

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump threatened sanctions against Baghdad on Sunday after Iraq’s parliament called on U.S. troops to leave the country, and the president said if troops did leave, Baghdad would have to pay Washington for the cost of the air base there.

“We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build, long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Trump said that if Iraq asked U.S. forces to leave and it was not done on a friendly basis, “we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”

Reuters.com

The Iraqis want us to stay, and Abdul Mahdi is just a resigned prime minister

{International: Al Furat News} US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed Washington’s full confidence that the people of Iraq want American forces to remain on their soil, regardless of the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.

Pompeo said, via “Fox News” channel today, Sunday, that the Iraqi caretaker head, Adel Abdul Mahdi, who asked the House of Representatives to set a timetable for removing all foreign forces from the country, is just “a resigned prime minister” and “acting prime minister.” And “faces massive threats from the leadership of Iran,” he said.

He added: “We are convinced that the Iraqi people want the United States to remain to continue its campaign against terrorism, and we will continue to do everything necessary to ensure America’s security.”

Pompeo declined to respond to a question whether Washington would do it if Iraq, as a sovereign state, asks it to withdraw its forces from its lands, saying: “The American people should know that we will take the right decision, and we will take steps that the previous administration refused to take.”

Minutes after Pompeo’s statement, the House of Representatives approved the government’s mandate to end the presence of foreign forces on the country’s territory.

Alforatnews.com

U.S. Kills Two Top Iranian Military Leaders, Bigger Than Bin Laden, Al-Baghdadi, Reports Say

U.S. military forces have reportedly killed two top Iranian military commanders involved in terrorism on Thursday night in Iraq in an airstrike in what analysts said was a significantly bigger deal than the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Iranian Major-General Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were the two Iranian military leaders who were killed. Al-Muhandis was in charge of the Iranian-linked Popular Mobilization Forces.

BBC reporter Ali Hashem reported: “My sources suggesting that commander of IRGC Quds force Qassem Suleimani and Deputy chief of PMU Abu Mahdi AlMuhandes were in the convoy hit by the U.S. airstrike near Baghdad airport Iraq.”

Hashem later noted that Iraqi state media reportedly confirmed the news with a PMU source.

“The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani,” Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed militias, told Reuters.

“The attack appears to have been an airstrike that hit two vehicles,” The New York Times reported. “The strike was the second attack at the airport within hours. An earlier attack, late Thursday, involved three rockets that did not appear to have caused any injuries.”

The United States State Department released the following information about the Qods Force, which is a terrorist organization that Qassem Suleimani was in charge of:

• The IRGC—most prominently through its Qods Force—has the greatest role among Iran’s actors in directing and carrying out a global terrorist campaign.
• In recent years, IRGC Qods Force terrorist planning has been uncovered and disrupted in many countries, including Germany, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kenya, Bahrain, and Turkey.
• The IRGC Qods Force in 2011 plotted a brazen terrorist attack against the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. on American soil. Fortunately, this plot was foiled.
• In September 2018, a U.S. federal court found Iran and the IRGC liable for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing which killed 19 Americans.
• In 2012, IRGC Qods Force operatives were arrested in Turkey for plotting an attack and in Kenya for planning a bombing.
• In January 2018, Germany uncovered ten IRGC operatives involved in a terrorist plot in Germany, and convicted another IRGC operative for surveilling a German-Israeli group.

Numerous analysts said that the airstrike killing the two leaders was greater than the killing of bin Laden and al-Baghdadi.

AJC Global analyst Julie Lenarz tweeted: “If you multiply the death of Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al Baghdadi you begin to understand the significance of Soleimani’s death. This man controlled the most powerful state-controlled army of terror.”

Free Beacon writer Noah Pollak wrote: “If this is true, and I hope it is, it’s a bigger deal for the Middle East than the bin Laden raid or the killing of Mughniyeh in 2008. A much, much bigger deal.”

The National Washington Correspondent Joyce Karam tweeted, “Hard to understate how big this is • Qassem Suleimani is Iran’s most powerful mil figure in Region • He runs Iran’s proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq • Both men designated by US as Terrorist • Muhandis was at US embassy attack protest, calls himself ‘Suleimani soldier.’”

Dailywire.com

US Embassy attack backfires on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

 

The attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad Dec. 31 was a public disgrace for Iranian militias in Iraq, as they failed to attract public support, forcing them to end the attack before they planned to without succeeding in their goals.

Despite the mass mobilization, only a few hundred people attended the protests against the US Embassy, stating publicly they would stay there until the embassy closed and US troops left Iraq. They set up tents and cooking facilities in preparation for an extended stay.

They organized groups at the Green Zone gates to help facilitate entrance for volunteers interested in joining the protests. Al-Monitor was able to see several invitations in WhatsApp groups and other communication platforms and on social media beseeching people to join them from all parts of Iraq.

However, not only did the number of protesters at the US Embassy not increase, but it decreased significantly. They organized another attack on the second day, Jan. 1, and comparisons between the two attacks showed clearly the number had reduced.

Many of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) factions were silent about the attack, and none of their members participated. Only members of Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyed al-Shohada, Badr Organization, Saraya al-Khorasani and Asaib Ahl al-Haq participated in the attack, as their respective flags were seen at the protests.

It is clear that public opinion has turned against Iran-backed militias in Iraq — especially since the beginning of anti-government protests Oct. 1 in which militias close to Iran are accused of being involved in the death of protesters and the abduction of a large number of them.

Their conduct during the violent anti-US protests only served to raise more criticism against them, as they raised their militia flags and put Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei photos on their chests. One could barely see Iraq flags. Their slogans were also mostly about Iran, like “Qasem Soleimani is our leader” and “US out out, Iran remain free.”

The last slogan was very controversial in comparison with the slogans during anti-government protests, one of which was “Iran out out, Iraq remains free.” This has presented them as loyal militias to Iran with no sympathy for Iraq or Iraqis.

Many also criticized government behavior in dealing with the anti-government protests in comparison with the militia protests against the United States.

“More than 500 kids … were killed in cold blood during the anti-government protests trying to pass Al-Jumhuriya Bridge to reach the area that leads to the Green Zone. And the protesters failed to pass through despite the fact 500 of them were killed. But the militias were able to enter the Green Zone in one hour without any problem or difficulties,” a group of protesters in Tahrir Square told Al-Monitor.

In their raid against the US Embassy, the militias appeared as rioters, chaotic forces, disloyal and unpatriotic.

The protesters in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square — in addition to the other cities’ protesters — issued statements denouncing the Green Zone protests, saying, “We are not a part of this protest, and we will continue protesting against the government until they fulfill our demands.”

Iraqi officials also were quick to condemn the attack on the US Embassy. Iraqi President Barham Salih said, “This [attack on US Embassy] is targeting Iraq, its sovereignty and its state before it is targeting any other party.” Caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also warned those who were responsible for the embassy attack would face severe punishment.

Sunni forces, Kurdistan Region authorities, Ayad Allawi’s National Coalition (Watania), many Shiite parties like Ammar al-Hakim’s Wisdom Movement and even the Sadrist Movement all condemned the attack on the US Embassy in separate statements.

In contrast with Iraqi politicians’ positions, Iranian authorities praised the raid against the United States in Iraq, blaming the United States for crimes against the Iraqi people, which turned Iraqis against the United States.

“Oh Americans, you have committed crimes and you have killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan are upset with the Americans, and this resentment will manifest itself somewhere and it is a natural consequence of American political and security measures in the region,” Khamenei tweeted.

The United States’ strong reaction to the attack on its embassy alongside the Iraqi people’s disappointment in Iran and its proxy roles in Iraq was a big shock for the militias and have left them in a difficult situation.

US President Donald Trump warned Iran, tweeting Iran “will be held fully responsible for lives lost or damage incurred at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat.”

US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller returned to the embassy from his New Year vacation on the night of the first day of the protests. Marines were deployed to the embassy during the protests, and US Apache helicopters began flying over the protesters and other parts of the Green Zone to reinforce the already well-fortified embassy.

The helicopters have expanded their area of coverage since Jan. 2, as witnessed by Al-Monitor with many more flying over areas outside of the Green Zone. A large number of Iraqi security forces were also deployed and positioned in the front of the US embassy to prevent any future attack on Jan 2.

Although the attack on the embassy was a dangerous move, it has provided great support to anti-Iranian forces and anti-government protests in Iraq. The protesters — in addition to anti-Iran political forces — have accused Iran for a long time of creating and supporting militias out of Iraqi government control. Iran always denied this, and the militias have claimed they are part of government forces under control of the prime minister. But the move against the US Embassy showed clearly they are indeed out of government control, loyal to Iran and against the Iraqi people.

Iranian militias have clearly been exposed as distinguished from Iraqi national forces, providing an opportunity for the Iraqi government and the international community to isolate them even further and put more pressure on them, which will empower the Iraqi state against the outlaws.

Al-monitor.com

Attack on US embassy at the heart of Iraq’s challenges

CNN’s Arwa Damon reports that the attack on the US embassy by groups of protesters is at the crux of the challenges the Iraqi government is facing. #Iraq #CNN #News

Iran places 7 conditions on the new prime minister in Iraq

Baghdad / The Independent newspaper revealed that the future Iraqi Prime Minister, regardless of his name or the party that nominates him, will have to fulfill the seven conditions set by Iran, based on its economic, political and security needs.

The newspaper stated in a report that “usually, a lot of information about the Iranian conditions for appointing the Iraqi Prime Minister is not leaked to the media, because negotiations on this position have always taken place in complete secrecy between the Shiite parties close to Tehran, but that the Iranian capital is often It was the appropriate place to resolve any dispute over the most likely candidate to form a government.

It seems that the Iraqi demonstrations, which have been going on for more than three months, have changed many rules, including the formal circumstances accompanying the selection of the prime minister in Baghdad, but, according to observers, they will not be able to compromise the essence of the conditions governing this process.

Currency auction

In the forefront of the Iranian conditions for any Iraqi figure charged with forming a government, maintaining the laws governing what is known as the “auction of currency sales” in the Central Bank of Iraq.

Under the pretext of maintaining the stability of the Iraqi dinar exchange rate against foreign currencies, the Central Bank of Iraq sells large amounts of money daily from the US dollar currency, to traders who say they use them to import the goods that the country needs from abroad.

After the tightening of the American screws on the Iranian economy, specifically during the past year, the currency auction in the Central Bank of Iraq turned into the most important Iranian window for obtaining the dollar, while informed sources say that approximately $ 40 billion was transferred from Iraq to accounts abroad during 2019.

Iraq does not have a tight banking system, so money laundering operations are common, as well as the facilities smugglers get at Iraqi border crossings with neighboring countries, providing an ideal environment for smuggling foreign currencies.

Electricity contracts

The second Iranian condition that the new Iraqi Prime Minister must abide by is the maintenance of electricity purchase contracts between Baghdad and Tehran.

The Iraqi government does not provide clear data on these contracts, but informed sources say that it is centered around a thousand megawatts of energy sold by Tehran to Baghdad, in exchange for an amount that is very high compared to the prevailing prices in the region, noting that Baghdad does not get anything from this thousand megawatts during The summer months, when the demand for electricity inside Iran increases and the possibility of export disappears, yet Tehran gets its full dues from Baghdad, as if it had exported all of the agreed upon quantity.

In light of the scarcity of Iranian external resources, the revenues resulting from the contract to supply Iraq with electricity are an important financial source for Tehran.

Baghdad and Najaf airports

The Iraqi airspace is a vital navigational passage for Iran, as it is the link between its lands and its spheres of influence in Syria and Lebanon, so the Iraqi airports should always be open to Iranian aviation.

Tehran did not get rid of the headaches of Iraqi airports until the Badr Organization leader, Hadi al-Amiri, assumed the position of Minister of Transport in the government between 2010 and 2014, as he made a series of arrangements, which are still in effect so far, to ensure that Iranian aircraft pass through Iraqi airspace and airports smoothly.

Informed sources say that Iran has been transporting to Syria, through the airports of Najaf and Baghdad, for years, all that it needs to maintain its influence there, without hindrance. Therefore, maintaining this situation is the third Iranian condition for any new Iraqi Prime Minister.

International road

The fourth condition does not go far from the conditions of the third condition, but rather it relates to land rather than the air, as Iran wants the future Iraqi Prime Minister to keep the situation in the international roads linking Baghdad to Damascus and Amman as it is.

The sources say that the Iraqi militias allied with Iran have planted during the past two years about 60 monitoring and control teams along the international route between Baghdad, Damascus and Amman, which explains how to maintain support and support lines for the Popular Mobilization Forces stationed at several border points between Iraq and Syria, one of which is Recently bombed by the United States, and turned out to be a camp operated by the Hezbollah Brigades, Iraq.

Transfer visitors

Observers say that these four conditions are of strategic importance, in addition to three other conditions of lesser importance, but they are necessary to sustain Iranian momentum in the region.

The first of the three additional conditions is to maintain the system for transporting Iranian visitors to Iraq in its current form, given the significant economic benefits that it accrue to Tehran.

No one knows publicly the circumstances that compelled Baghdad to sign contracts to transport Iranian visitors to visit the Shiite shrines offered in Iraq, because they lose the rights of Iraqis and cut off all economic benefits to them.

Some of these conditions stipulate that the transportation of visitors is an exclusive process for Iranian companies, and that even feeding them is not the right of the Iraqi cities that host them.

Crowd salaries

The other condition relates to ensuring the flow of the PMF’s salaries in the current formula, with about 30% of them going to special accounts, according to associates of this force.

When the previous Iraqi government required its military and civilian employees to open bank accounts and manage the process of receiving their monthly salaries via smart cards, to avoid fraud and get rid of the phenomenon of imaginary employees, leaders in the PMF created a ruse to get around the issue.

These leaders supervised the process of issuing salary cards to all members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, but they kept them with them after they took their secret operating numbers, and at the end of each month when the salaries were deducted in the fighters ’accounts, they spent them and paid part of them to the affiliate and kept another part, which saved large commissions.

Informed sources say that this operation was carried out on the advice of Iran, which contributed to providing a good financial liquidity for the leaders of the popular crowd, out of the sight of the government or regulatory agencies.

The seventh Iranian condition for the upcoming Iraqi Prime Minister is to guarantee customs facilities for Iranian goods at the border crossings between the two countries.

Informed sources say that the more pressure the American economic sanctions put on Iran, the more the Iraqi border outlets will provide additional facilities for the Iranian suppliers to help them pump more quantities into the Iraqi interior.

Iraqi facilities helped Iran to overcome many cases of financial deficit, as the Iraqi market received more Iranian goods than its absorptive capacity.

Ikhnews.com

Nechirvan Barzani: The attack on the US embassy endangers Iraq’s interests

Baghdad – The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, considered, on Tuesday, the attack on the American embassy, which endangers Iraq’s interests.

“The assembly and civil demonstrations are a constitutional right, but the use of violence, irresponsible attacks and behaviors to target embassies and diplomatic missions is a dangerous development,” Barzani said in a statement received by Al-Akhbariya, noting that “we look with great concern at the recent events and the attack on the American embassy in Baghdad, and that It is totally unacceptable and unacceptable, and endangers Iraq’s interests. ”

He added: “The Americans are allies and friends of Iraq and the Kurdistan region and they were major partners in the liberation of Iraq and the victory against the terrorists of Al Qaeda and ISIS. To confront the dangers of terrorism and protect their interests, Iraq and the Kurdistan region still need the support and cooperation of America and the international coalition.”

He explained: “Representatives of countries and diplomats, the guests of Iraq, must be respected and protected.”

Ikhnews.com