Shafaq News – Basra

Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani on Tuesday dismissed renewed efforts to upgrade al-Zubair district into a separate province, underscoring that the oil-rich district remains a vital part of Basra.

His remarks followed a directive from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani instructing ministries to take procedural steps on the proposal after more than 80 out of 329 members of parliament backed the change. “The prime minister did not breach the constitution or the law; he only asked that legal measures be followed,” al-Eidani told Shafaq News. “Our stance is clear: al-Zubair should remain within Basra.”

Provincial council chairman Khalaf al-Badran confirmed the council had issued a binding decision rejecting the separation, noting that any administrative changes must be approved locally, where both the council and the provincial government are opposed.

Al-Sudani’s directive came in response to a formal request led by parliamentarians Rafiq al-Salhi and Alaa al-Haidari, who argued that al-Zubair, with its strategic oil facilities and growing population, merits provincial status like Halabja in the Kurdistan Region, which was granted provincehood in 2014.

Calls for al-Zubair’s recognition as a province stretch back nearly two decades. Local officials first submitted a petition in 2006, and in 2014, they threatened to take the case to Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court. Despite repeated attempts, successive governments have resisted the change, citing administrative and political concerns.