Al-Sudani’s office publishes new details of the phone call with the US Secretary of State.

The Iraqi government released new details on Wednesday regarding the phone call between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The office stated in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that “Al-Sudani received a phone call from Rubio, during which they reviewed bilateral relations and the general situation in the region.”

According to the statement, Al-Sudani affirmed Iraq’s support for efforts to consolidate stability in the region, sustain ceasefire agreements, and halt aggression.

He pointed to “the recent attacks on vital oil facilities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and in the provinces of Salah al-Din and Kirkuk,” describing them as “targeting the Iraqi national economy.”

He added that “security services are monitoring the sources of the attacks with the international coalition to fight ISIS,” expressing his “surprise that these attacks coincided with the agreement of principles between the Ministry of Oil and American investment companies operating in the region to invest in a number of oil fields in Kirkuk and Salah al-Din.”

The call also touched on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law, according to the statement. Al-Sudani explained that “submitting this law to the House of Representatives is part of the government’s security reform process, and is part of the government program approved by the House of Representatives. This process has included the approval of similar laws for other agencies within our armed forces, such as the Intelligence and National Security Services.” He emphasized that “the PMF is an official Iraqi military institution operating under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”

He continued, saying that the Kurdistan Regional Government’s commitment to transferring oil production and non-oil revenues to the public treasury, through the recent Cabinet decision, within the framework of the provisions of the current budget law, and the relevant Federal Court ruling, has helped resolve financial and legal obstacles between the federal government and the regional government. He indicated that “the government’s national and constitutional commitment to Iraqi citizens is reflected in its actions in all areas.”

He reiterated Iraq’s economic vision, the importance of resuming oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, and halting all forms of smuggling and illegal practices targeting oil resources.

Earlier today, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that Rubio emphasized to al-Sudani the need to hold accountable those involved in recent attacks targeting energy infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, including those operated by US companies.

Rubio also highlighted, according to the spokeswoman, US concerns about the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) bill currently under discussion in the House of Representatives, stressing that “enacting this type of law would entrench Iranian influence and terrorist armed groups that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty.”

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The Coordination Framework affirms its full support for the Baghdad-Erbil agreement on financial and oil issues.

The Coordination Framework, which brings together Iraq’s ruling Shiite political forces, affirmed its full support on Wednesday for the recent agreement between Baghdad and Erbil regarding financial and oil issues between the two sides.

A leader in the framework, Amer Al-Fayez, told Shafaq News Agency, “During its meeting last Monday, the Coordination Framework announced its support for the recent Baghdad-Erbil agreement regarding salaries, financial issues, and oil.”

He added, “The Coordination Framework emphasized during the meeting the need to resolve all outstanding issues and continue dialogue to overcome the crisis.” He continued, “We support the recent agreement, which resulted in the release of salaries for the region’s employees for May by the federal Ministry of Finance, and there are ongoing dialogues between Baghdad and Erbil.”

The federal Ministry of Finance announced yesterday, Tuesday, that it would begin disbursing salaries to public sector employees and workers in the Kurdistan Region for May, following the regional government’s commitment to hand over oil and non-oil revenues.

In contrast, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economy announced earlier Tuesday that the Iraqi treasury’s share of non-oil revenues had been deposited into the federal Ministry of Finance’s bank account.

Last Wednesday, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Council of Ministers approved a new agreement between the regional government and the federal government regarding salaries and financial benefits for public sector employees and workers in Kurdistan.

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The Kurdistan Regional Government announces its commitment to the agreement signed with Baghdad and calls on the latter to comply.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) affirmed on Wednesday its commitment to the terms of the agreement signed with the federal government, called on the latter to adhere to it, and confirmed that it had submitted salary lists with complete transparency.

The regional government said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency, “The Kurdistan Regional Government Council of Ministers held its meeting today, and the first part of the meeting was devoted to discussing the latest developments in the implementation of the recent agreement between the regional and federal governments, which was approved last week by the Council of Ministers of both sides, and related to salaries, financial dues for the region, oil exports, and the mechanisms for implementing the terms of the agreement by the ministries and relevant authorities in the two governments and the joint committees between them.”

She added, ” The Council of Ministers reiterated that the Kurdistan Region has fully complied with all its obligations stipulated in the agreement, as the Ministry of Finance and Economy in the region has deposited 120 billion dinars into the account of the federal Ministry of Finance, as agreed upon, in addition to sending the payrolls for the months of May and June, and continuing the joint audit work by the Ministries of Finance, in addition to follow-up by the Federal and Regional Boards of Financial Supervision regarding quarterly revenues and expenditures, as all data was presented with complete transparency.”

“ Regarding the oil file, the Ministry of Natural Resources in the region, through a joint committee, has provided all necessary facilities to the federal Ministry of Oil and SOMO to obtain data and conduct direct field visits to all oil fields in the region,” she continued, stressing that “the technical committee in the two ministries has reached a joint agreement on the mechanism for starting the export of the region’s oil through SOMO, based on the current production quantities, which have decreased due to the recent terrorist attacks with drones on the oil fields.”

She pointed out that “the Council of Ministers affirmed that these measures demonstrate the region’s full commitment to the agreement, and that the federal government must, in return, abide by what was agreed upon, particularly the dispatch of salaries and benefits to citizens in the region, which have not yet been dispatched. The region’s employees have been deprived of their salaries for three months, a constitutional and legal right that may not be violated under any circumstances, especially since the region has fully fulfilled its obligations.”

The Council expressed its “high appreciation for the region’s citizens’ responsible and understanding stance regarding the difficult financial circumstances, despite their suffering as a result of unconstitutional decisions. The Council affirmed its full commitment to protecting their rights and not relinquishing them, most notably securing salaries as soon as possible.”

The Council called on the media in Kurdistan to “perform their role professionally and responsibly in conveying information, not to become tools for spreading false news or distorting facts, and not to give space to those seeking to incite chaos and deprive employees of their rights.”

In the second part of the meeting, the Council of Ministers hosted a joint committee comprising representatives from: the Ministry of Planning/Standardization and Quality Control Authority, the Ministry of Finance and Economy/General Directorate of Customs, the Ministry of Trade and Industry/General Directorate of Industrial Development, and the Ministry of Interior. The committee reviewed the text of the agreement between the regional government and the federal government on establishing a mechanism for joint coordination and cooperation between the standardization and quality control authorities on both sides within the constitutional powers of each party. The agreement stipulates the approval of inspection certificates from both parties, unification of procedures between them, and that the standardization authority in the region be an equal party to its counterpart in the federal government.

She added, ” At the conclusion of the discussion, the Council expressed its gratitude to the members of the joint committee and the relevant ministries for their efforts, voted unanimously to approve the agreement, and instructed the relevant ministries to take the necessary measures to implement it within the framework of their constitutional powers and the laws in force in the Kurdistan Region.”

She noted that “this decision will contribute to facilitating inspection and quality control processes and eliminate obstacles that have hindered trade and commodity exchange between the region and the center, causing losses and repeated complaints from traders, investors, and factories on both sides.”

Shafaq.com

The Ministry of Planning announces the implementation of a tracking system for electrical goods and cigarettes.

The Ministry of Planning announced, today, Wednesday, the commencement of implementing the tracking system for electrical goods and cigarettes, as the Ministry stated, in a statement, that “the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control in the Ministry announces to all suppliers and importers of electrical goods and cigarettes to Iraq and the inspection companies licensed by the pre-inspection program in the country of origin and the companies authorized to inspect at border crossings on behalf of the agency, the commencement of implementing the decision of the Ministerial Council for the Economy No. (230339 Q) for the year 2023 (obligating importers and producers to work with the tracking system for all electrical goods and cigarettes as a first stage imported to Iraq and covered by the decisions of the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control (pre-inspection certificate and obtaining the Iraqi quality mark certificate in accordance with the applicable instructions and reinforced with a barcode (obtaining the Iraqi quality mark).

She also clarified that “this is effective from 9/15/2025, otherwise the entry of (electrical goods – cigarettes) that do not bear the Iraqi quality mark will be prohibited after the aforementioned period for goods that were not mentioned in Announcement No. 15 of 2024,” noting that “the decision is effective from 7/1/2024 for goods mentioned in the aforementioned announcement.”

Burathanews.com

Government meeting to activate Apple Pay in Iraq

A government source revealed, on Tuesday, that the committee concerned with activating Apple Pay services held a virtual meeting with the regional managers of Apple International to make the Apple Pay service available to users in Iraq with the aim of enhancing electronic payments. The source stated to the official agency, “As part of the Iraqi government’s efforts, and under the direct guidance and follow-up of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, to develop the electronic payment infrastructure and expand the use of modern technologies to contribute to enhancing financial inclusion and digital transformation, the committee concerned with activating Apple Pay services held a virtual meeting with the regional managers of Apple International to discuss the technical and administrative requirements necessary to launch the service in Iraq.”

He added that “the meeting was attended from the Iraqi side by Advisor to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the Committee for Activating Electronic Payment Services, Saleh Mahoud Salman, Director General of Electronic Payment Systems at the Central Bank of Iraq, Adnan Asaad, and Director of Information Technology at the Communications and Media Commission, Mohammed Al-Gharbawi.” He pointed out that “from the Apple side, the meeting was attended by Omar Al-Rifai, Director of Government Affairs for Apple Pay Services in the Middle East and Pakistan, Mike Powell, Director of Apple Pay Services in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, Adham Fahmin, Director of Legal Affairs for Apple Pay Services in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, Prince Zander, and a legal expert for Apple Services, Sam Butcher.”

The source also explained that “the meeting reviewed the roadmap and technical and administrative requirements necessary to activate the service in Iraq, and discussed the mechanisms for its integration with the national electronic payment system, in addition to answering relevant technical inquiries.” He pointed out that “at the end of the meeting, it was agreed to hold a follow-up meeting within the next two weeks to complete the technical and operational preparations, leading to achieving the desired goal of making the Apple Pay service available to users in Iraq, in line with the government’s program to develop the electronic payments sector and support the transition to a digital economy.”

Burathanews.com

Parliament crisis ends with a “fraternal reconciliation” between Al-Mashhadani and Al-Mandlawi.

A parliamentary source reported on Tuesday that a reconciliation had taken place between Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani and his deputy, Mohsen al-Mandalawi, following the altercation that occurred between them during yesterday’s parliamentary session.

A source told Shafaq News Agency, “Deputy Speaker of Parliament Shakhwan Abdullah held a fraternal meeting between Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani and First Deputy Speaker Mohsen Al-Mandalawi. During the meeting, an agreement was reached to address the problems that occurred in yesterday’s session, Monday, and to continue cooperation and ensure the work of Parliament continues and sessions are held.”

He added, “The attendees agreed to resume the sessions and hold a session on Wednesday or Thursday of this week.”

On Monday, a parliamentary source revealed that a verbal altercation broke out inside the House of Representatives between Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, First Deputy Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi, and a number of Coordination Framework MPs, leading to the postponement of today’s session.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that the dispute erupted over Al-Mashhadani’s recent statements regarding the political process and elections.

Prior to that, al-Mashhadani said in a televised interview that Iraq was set to witness demonstrations next month, and that we might resort to an “emergency government” if security turmoil occurred in Iraq. He also confirmed that the United States had sent messages to all political leaders regarding the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), indicating that the US approach sought to integrate the PMF into the security forces, not restructure it.

Shafaq.com

Sunni blocs meet tonight to issue a position on what happened inside Al-Mashhadani’s office.

A political source reported on Monday that Sunni bloc MPs will meet tonight to issue a position on the disagreement between the parliament speaker and his deputy.

The source told Shafaq News Agency, “The Sunni blocs’ representatives will meet tonight to issue a position on the events that took place inside the Speaker of Parliament’s office.”

He added, “The origins of the incident date back to a verbal altercation over the phone between Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani and his deputy, Mohsen al-Mandalawi. The latter arrived at al-Mashhadani’s office to continue the argument over statements regarding the Popular Mobilization Forces retirement law and other issues.”

Earlier on Monday, a parliamentary source revealed that a verbal altercation broke out inside the House of Representatives between Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, First Deputy Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi, and a number of Coordination Framework MPs, leading to the postponement of today’s session.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that the dispute erupted over Al-Mashhadani’s recent statements regarding the political process and elections.

Prior to that, al-Mashhadani said in a televised interview on Dijlah TV that Iraq was set to witness demonstrations next month, and that we might resort to an “emergency government” if security turmoil occurred in Iraq. He also confirmed that the United States had sent messages to all political leaders regarding the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), indicating that the US approach sought to integrate the PMF into the security forces, not restructure it.

Independent MP Alaa Al-Haidari told Shafaq News Agency, “The suspicious statements issued by Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, who represents the highest authority in the Iraqi state and has made multiple media appearances, constitute a failure on his part.”

He added: “We demanded that the Speaker of the Council offer a public apology to the Iraqi people for insulting the Iraqi identity, which is more than 5,000 years old. This identity has been tainted by the blood of Imam Hussein and the martyrs. We will not accept insults to this identity. Al-Mashhadani must immediately apologize to the Iraqi people. If he does not, we will collect signatures to remove him from his position.”

Shafaq.com

Iran is losing the “Iraq axis.” The Economist: Factions are no longer sacrificing themselves for Tehran.

A British report confirmed that the Iranian regime’s hegemony over Iraq is declining, pointing to the Iraqi government’s avoidance of involvement in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel. It also provided evidence of Tehran’s declining influence and credibility among Iraqis.

A report by the British magazine “The Economist,” reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, highlighted three main reasons for the decline of Iranian influence in Iraq, the most important of which is the emergence of a new generation of politicians in Iraq “who emerged from the anti-government protests of 2020 and oppose the Iranian-backed militias more vocally than before.”

According to the report, following the killing of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, in January 2020, Iran’s control over the militias and proxy groups it supports in Iraq has diminished, with many of them shifting their focus to internal Iraqi affairs.

The Economist magazine quoted a senior Iraqi official as saying that Esmail Qaani, Soleimani’s successor and current commander of the Quds Force, “does not possess Soleimani’s skill in managing the conflicting interests of Iraq’s various factions.”

The report pointed to another factor cited as contributing to the decline of the Iranian regime’s influence in Iraq: “The transformation of militias into political forces and their dissolution into the Iraqi bureaucracy and economy.”

He explained that Iran, in order to expand and deepen its influence in Iraq, paved the way for militia members to enter the Iraqi political and economic system.

Currently, members of these groups have extensive economic interests and control important ministries, including those related to oil and mineral exports. Until recently, they even wielded significant influence within Iraq’s Supreme Court, according to The Economist.

According to the report, former members of Iran-affiliated groups, who are now wealthy political forces in the Iraqi government and economy, unlike in the past, “have much to lose if their country enters into a war with the United States or Israel, which is why they are increasingly angry about Iraq’s role as a client state of the Iranian government.”

Based on this evidence, the Economist report concluded that the weakness of the meaning of “resistance” became apparent during Iran’s war with Israel and the United States, when even the Iranian government’s closest allies in Iraq offered little assistance to the Islamic Republic for fear of retaliation from the United States or Israel.

Shafaq.com

For the third consecutive month, the Central Bank of Iraq saw a significant decline in dollar sales.

The head of the Iraq Future Foundation, Manar al-Obaidi, revealed on Monday that the Central Bank of Iraq’s foreign currency sales declined during the month of June.

Al-Obaidi said in a post on his Facebook page, followed by Shafaq News Agency, that “the Central Bank’s foreign currency sales decreased for the third consecutive month, reaching $5.7 billion in June of this year, a decrease of 15.5% compared to May, when sales recorded $6.5 billion. Thus, the Central Bank’s foreign currency sales in the first six months of the year reached $37.2 billion, a decrease of 2.2% compared to the same period last year, which recorded $38.1 billion.”

He added that “cash sales of foreign currency also fell to their lowest level, reaching only $99 million in June, the lowest monthly sales value since the introduction of cash sales. Thus, the Central Bank’s total foreign currency sales through cash sales in the first six months of the year amounted to $1.4 billion, a 21% decline compared to the same period last year, which amounted to $1.76 billion.”

According to Al-Obaidi, foreign currency sales through the balance enhancement mechanism reached $5.6 billion in June of this year, a 35% increase compared to June of last year. Thus, foreign currency sales through the balance enhancement mechanism in the first six months of the year reached $35.8 billion, a 37% increase compared to the same period last year, which amounted to $26 billion.

He continued, “The international settlement mechanism through the Central Bank has also been completely halted, as has the transfer mechanism through the Central Bank. Foreign currency sales are now limited to balance-building and cash sales to travelers. Despite the decline in cash sales and the halt in international settlements, the dollar exchange rate has remained stable and unaffected by this decline.”

The central bank’s sales this year are expected to reach around $70 billion, down from last year’s sales of more than $80 billion, according to Al-Abidi.

He pointed out that “the decline in foreign currency sales, coupled with the stability of the dollar price on the parallel market and the decline in inflation levels, calls for a careful review to determine the reasons behind this decline. This could be related to the possibility of most traders entering the official market, which reduces the need for hard currency on the parallel market, or to a decline in demand for goods, which could reflect a state of economic stagnation in the Iraqi market.”

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Tomorrow, the Sudanese government will receive a “final recommendation” regarding oil and salaries for Kurdistan employees.

A Kurdish political source confirmed on Monday that the federal government will receive recommendations from the ministerial committee it formed last week on Tuesday regarding salaries and benefits for employees in the Kurdistan Region and the handover of the region’s oil to the state-owned oil company SOMO .

The source told Shafaq News Agency, “The ministerial committee formed by Baghdad last week regarding the salaries and benefits of Kurdistan Region employees and the region’s oil will submit its report to the Council of Ministers in a session tomorrow, Tuesday .”

He added, “The committee will read its report during the cabinet session, and based on the report, the proposals and solutions presented will be considered to reach an agreement and a final formula for releasing salaries for the region’s employees and handing over Kurdistan’s oil to the national oil company, SOMO .”

On July 8, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered the formation of a ministerial committee to discuss the provisions of the budget law and Federal Supreme Court rulings regarding financial obligations between Baghdad and Erbil .

According to the government announcement, the committee is headed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning, and includes the Ministers of Construction and Housing, Higher Education, Justice, and Health .

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