Shafaq News

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi reached the 100-day mark on Friday, August 21, facing a series of longstanding crises that successive governments have struggled to resolve, from weapons control and corruption to oil exports, water shortages and public finances.

The milestone offers an early test of whether the government's stated priorities can translate into measurable results. His cabinet also remains incomplete. Nine of its 23 ministries, including defense, interior and planning, are still without permanent ministers and remain under acting ministers amid political disputes over candidates and power-sharing arrangements.

Despite the incomplete cabinet, the Council of Ministers approved a 2026-2029 government program containing 139 priorities across 14 sectors and 13 major legislative measures. The program is built around the stated goal of establishing a "stable state, productive economy and balanced partnerships."

The scale of the agenda highlights the government's ambition, but it also underscores its central challenge: Iraq's most difficult problems require decisions that carry high political, economic, and security costs.

Weapons and Sovereignty

The government's most politically sensitive challenge is its effort to place all weapons under state authority. Al-Zaidi has set September 30 as the deadline for completing the process of bringing all weapons under state control, coinciding with arrangements for the end of the Global Coalition's military mission. The Coordination Framework, which brings together Iraq's main Shiite political forces, agreed in principle to place weapons under state control. The dispute centers on implementation, guarantees and timing. Proposals have included negotiations with Iran-aligned armed factions over arrangements for withdrawing heavy weapons and placing them in state-controlled storage, in an effort to avoid an internal confrontation.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Khaled Walid, a member of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition led by former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, said that weapons control, the withdrawal of foreign forces and protection of Iraq's territorial integrity will be the “key measures by which the government is judged in the months ahead.”

Washington-based political analyst Ramadan Al-Badran said Al-Zaidi inherited challenges accumulated over years while also confronting new pressures created by regional developments. 

Read more: Iraq's disarmament deadline pits Baghdad against Iran-aligned factions

Al-Badran told Shafaq News that the prime minister is "trying to lay the right foundations" based on national, regional and international consensus. He also credited the government with tackling issues that previous administrations had not addressed with the same level of seriousness, particularly corruption and weapons control.

But progress on these fronts remains difficult to measure. The government has established a policy direction, yet implementation will depend on political consensus, institutional capacity and the willingness of powerful actors to accept greater state control.

Diplomacy as Crisis Management

Al-Zaidi has also intensified Iraq's regional and international diplomacy, travelling to the United States, Iran, and Turkiye, while pursuing broader outreach to Arab states to strengthen Baghdad's ties and shield Iraq from wider confrontation.

The Washington visit resulted in 48 agreements and memoranda of understanding with US and international companies and institutions, covering energy, investment, infrastructure, technology, healthcare and other sectors.

In Tehran, discussions focused on regional de-escalation and Baghdad's potential role as a channel for dialogue, alongside energy, agriculture and bilateral cooperation.

Read more: Iraq and the Mecca Defense Pact: Strategic neutrality or growing isolation?

Oil: The Immediate Economic Test

Oil exports remain the government's most pressing economic vulnerability. Disruptions to Iraq's traditional export routes, combined with tensions between Iran and the United States and instability around the Strait of Hormuz, have added pressure to public finances that remain heavily dependent on oil revenues.

Lawmaker Uday Al-Zamili told Shafaq News that the oil export crisis still lacks "effective solutions," arguing that the government has so far relied largely on proposals and arrangements whose details have not been fully presented to parliament. 

Al-Zamili also sought details on how the Iraqi-Turkish arrangement would work to export around one million barrels per day through Turkish ports, saying parliament needed greater clarity over Iraq's financial returns and whether the arrangement could also advance other bilateral issues, including water and trade. 

Read more: Iraq-US investment deals depend on implementation, experts say

The issue is particularly sensitive because oil revenues directly underpin salaries and public spending. On August 17, Al-Zaidi held an expanded meeting with oil-sector officials and the oil and finance ministers, calling for urgent measures to address export routes and the crisis's effects.

The challenge goes beyond maintaining production. Iraq must also ensure that it has reliable routes to international markets and sufficient financial flexibility to withstand disruptions.

Iraqi oil shipments are already moving through the Iraq-Syria border crossings, providing Baghdad with an overland alternative to its traditional export routes. In early May, Iraq launched its first crude oil shipment through the Rabia–Al-Yarubiyah crossing, sending an initial 70 tanker trucks toward regional markets. Subsequent shipments ranged from 15 to 40 tankers a day.

Reform Beyond Oil

At the same time, the government is seeking to reduce the state's dependence on oil by increasing non-oil revenues, reforming the banking, tax and customs systems, and encouraging investment and private-sector activity.

Walid described Al-Zaidi's administration primarily as a "government managing a political, economic and security crisis," pointing to the wider consequences of regional conflict and instability.

He said the government was looking for new ways to increase non-oil revenues, diversify oil export routes, limit operating expenditure and reform state institutions while strengthening anti-corruption measures.

Al-Zaidi also sought during his July visits to Washington, Tehran and Ankara to keep diplomatic channels open and contain the impact of regional tensions on Iraq. But Walid noted that the ultimate measure of the government's performance will be its ability to turn plans and promises into tangible results. He identified corruption and weapons control as the two issues likely to weigh most heavily on the government's performance through the end of the year.

Water Adds Another Pressure Point

Drought and declining water inflows have placed additional pressure on Iraq's already vulnerable water resources. Yet Turhan Al-Mufti, the prime minister's adviser on water affairs, offers a more positive assessment, saying water conditions during the summer of 2026 are three to four times better than those recorded the previous year.

Al-Mufti told Shafaq News that the government is relying on agreements with Turkiye, including a framework agreement on water and a memorandum on financing water-related projects. He explained that the two arrangements are expected to enter into force in September and provide a basis for more sustainable water supplies.

Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues

Corruption as an Early Test

The government placed corruption near the top of its agenda from the outset. On June 28, it launched an anti-corruption campaign dubbed the “Dawn Crackdown”, and took legal and oversight measures against prominent political and administrative figures, in a move supporters described as different from the approach of previous governments.

The prime minister's financial adviser, Mudher Mohammed Saleh, has argued that the government should not be judged simply by the number of days it has been in office, but by the course it set from the beginning. 

Read more: Corruption arrests in Iraq pass 210 under PM al-Zaidi

Speaking to Shafaq News, Saleh said the government had placed anti-corruption efforts among its leading priorities and sought to move the issue beyond political rhetoric toward institutional oversight, accountability and the recovery of public funds.

At 100 days, Al-Zaidi's government has set out an ambitious agenda and taken on several politically sensitive issues, but its most consequential tests lie ahead. Completing the cabinet, bringing all weapons under state control, securing reliable oil-export routes, protecting public finances and turning anti-corruption measures into sustained institutional action will determine whether the government's first year delivers lasting change.

The central question is: can Al-Zaidi build the political consensus and institutional capacity needed to address them?

Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.