Shafaq News- Riyadh

Saudi fighter jets bombed targets linked to Iran-backed Shi'ite factions in Iraq during theIran war with Israel and the US, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.

The strikes were carried out near the Saudi northern border with Iraq, two sources noted, adding that some strikes took place ​around the time of the April 7 ceasefire. “They targeted sites from which drone and missile attacks were launched at Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.”

“Hundreds of the drones that targeted the Gulf emanated from Iraq,” all the sources said.

Iraqi sources told Reuters that rocket attacks were launched on at least two occasions from Kuwaiti territory on Iraq. One set of strikes hit a faction's positions in southern Iraq in ​April, killing several fighters and destroying a facility used by Kataib Hezbollah for communications and drone operations.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia launched strikes directly on Iran during the war in retaliation for attacks on the kingdom, the first time Riyadh ​is known to have hit Iranian soil. The UAE also carried out similar strikes on Iran, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

On March 25, six Arab countries called on Iraq’s government to take action to stop attacks launched by armed factions from Iraqi territory against neighboring states, warning that failure to do so could lead to further escalation. Later on April 2, the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee, a coalition of Iran-aligned armed factions, called on the government to sanction Jordan by closing border crossings and halting oil supplies, accusing it of facilitating attacks on Iraqi forces.

Shafaq News- Washington

American forces have redirected 67 commercial vessels, allowed 15 humanitarian support ships to pass, and disabled four others since the naval blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz began on April 13, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Wednesday.

The command said its forces compelled two commercial ships to change course earlier this week after “communicating via radio and firing warning shots from small arms, clearly demonstrating that U.S. enforcement remains in full effect.”

Four weeks ago, CENTCOM began implementing the blockade against ships entering and exiting Iran’s ports. As of today, American forces have redirected 67 commercial vessels, allowed 15 supporting humanitarian aid to pass, and disabled 4 to ensure compliance. Earlier this week,… pic.twitter.com/Vfkucl0Mci

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 13, 2026

Washington and Tehran continue to impose maritime restrictions in the Strait, with the US Navy preventing vessels from entering or departing Iranian ports while Iran maintains limits on commercial traffic through the strategic waterway, which carries around 20% of global oil supplies.

Iranian Fars News Agency reported that over 1,500 foreign vessels are currently positioned on both sides of the Strait awaiting Iran's authorization to transit the route.

Read more: Force without a finish line: Iran losing war, US losing endgame

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi has yet to finalize his cabinet lineup and continues reviewing candidates submitted by political blocs and parties, a source close to the negotiations told Shafaq News on Wednesday.

Al-Zaidi is holding intensive meetings with a special advisory team to assess résumés and proposed nominees before making final decisions on ministerial posts, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. “Some portfolios may remain unresolved until the final hours before Parliament convenes for the confidence vote tomorrow.”

The prime minister-designate has also raised objections to several nominees and requested replacement candidates from certain political blocs and parties, the source added.

Earlier today, Hoqooq bloc* MP Miqdad Al-Khafaji told our agency that Parliament is moving ahead with the vote despite lawmakers not yet receiving the names or résumés of ministerial candidates. He noted that the bloc hopes they would be submitted at least 48 hours before the session to allow lawmakers sufficient time to review qualifications and records, warning that some MPs may boycott the vote if they remain unconvinced by the proposed nominees.

Parliament’s presidency officially set Thursday as the date for the confidence vote following days of political disputes over the timing of the session and the distribution of ministries among rival factions. Political sources previously said disagreements persist over sovereign and security portfolios, particularly the oil and defense ministries, raising the possibility that Al-Zaidi may present only part of his cabinet for parliamentary approval.

* Hoqooq is the political wing of the armed group Kataib Hezbollah and is part of the Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest bloc with about 162 of parliament's 329 seats.

Read more: Al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Iraqi border forces thwarted on Wednesday three separate smuggling attempts involving drug-filled air balloons along the Iraqi-Syrian border west of Al-Anbar province.

In a statement, the Border Guards Command said units from the Fourth Regiment of the Fifth Border Brigade, the First Regiment of the Sixth Brigade, and the Second Regiment of the Twelfth Brigade detected the balloons using thermal cameras before tracking and shooting them down during field operations.

The command indicated that the operations resulted in the seizure of around 479,000 narcotic pills weighing a total of 87 kilograms, which were allegedly intended for smuggling into Iraq.

Read more: The Smuggler's Almanac: Iraq's war against narco-innovation

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

A medical team at Iraq’s Kirkuk Maternity and Children Hospital on Wednesday successfully performed the country’s “first surgery of its kind” on a 20-day-old infant suffering from an extremely rare congenital condition, of which only 22 cases have been documented worldwide.

The newborn had been experiencing severe breathing difficulties before advanced examinations, including cardiac echocardiography and CT imaging, confirmed a diagnosis of Peritoneopericardial Diaphragmatic Hernia, Arjan Mohammed Rashid, director general of the Kirkuk Health Directorate, told Shafaq News. The condition, he clarified, caused part of the infant’s liver to shift next to the heart inside the pericardial membrane, alongside fluid accumulation around the organ.

A joint surgical team specializing in pediatric, cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery performed an emergency abdominal operation to return the liver to its normal position and close the congenital opening, Rashid noted, adding that the infant later underwent intensive postoperative care before being transferred to the pediatric surgery ward and discharged in good health.

Shafaq News- Washington/ Baghdad

US-Iraq relations are entering a new phase centered more on investment and economic cooperation than security, participants at “Iraq Dialogue Day” in Washington said on Wednesday, as Baghdad and Washington reassess ties amid the gradual reduction of the US military presence in Iraq.

Speaking at the opening session hosted by the Atlantic Council, Victoria Taylor, director of the institute’s Iraq Program, said the approaching end of the Global Coalition mission marks a major turning point in bilateral relations. For the past 20 years, security has been the foundation of the relationship, "but current realities require a different approach,” Taylor added.

She argued that the current US administration’s emphasis on economic deals creates an opportunity to deepen cooperation in business and investment, while warning that political engagement between the two countries has noticeably declined.

“We are no longer in the period when the US president would hold weekly calls with Iraqi leaders or candidates,” she remarked, urging Iraqi delegations to intensify visits to Washington to better communicate Iraqi priorities and understand shifting American policy interests.

Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the stagnation in bilateral relations was not caused by a lack of legal frameworks, but by “weak political will” in successive Iraqi governments.

Read more: The US exits Iraq: A withdrawal heralds a sovereign future

Zebari defended the Strategic Framework Agreement, which he helped negotiate, describing it as a deal that could have given Iraq advantages “envied by countries in the region” had it been fully implemented. He attributed the failure to activate many of its provisions to “negligence and lack of interest” by previous administrations.

According to Zebari, the current US administration appears more direct and serious in dealing with unresolved Iraqi issues, adding that officials in Baghdad have begun to recognize Washington’s determination despite a “sometimes transactional approach.”

For Shafaq News, Mostafa Hashem, Washington D.C.

Shafaq News- Beirut

The Israeli military carried out dozens of airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, while Hezbollah intensified attacks against Israeli forces, particularly through explosive drones.

Local sources reported that the Israeli strikes targeted the towns of Aita al-Jabal, Kfar Hatta, Deir Al-Zahrani, Haris, Zibqin, Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, Al-Shaaitiyeh, Al-Maaliya, and Naqoura.

The Israeli military claimed it had targeted weapons depots, rocket launch platforms, and infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in the affected areas.

Separately, the military revealed that 190 of its soldiers were wounded in the last two weeks of Hezbollah’s operations.

Hezbollah announced 10 operations against Israeli forces, including a drone strike on an Israeli armored personnel carrier in the town of Bint Jbeil, which the group said resulted in a direct hit. Hezbollah also said it targeted a Merkava tank with a drone in the town of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon.

The group further stated that it detonated an explosive bomb against an Israeli force attempting to advance from Rashaf toward the outskirts of Hadatha, adding that clashes later erupted with the unit.

Lebanese authorities have recorded more than 8,500 Israeli raids since March 2, which, according to the Health Ministry, have killed 2,896 people and injured 8,824 others, including women and children.

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was holding discussions with security officials on ways to address threats posed by Hezbollah drones.

The Washington Post quoted an Israeli military official as saying Hezbollah drones “pose a threat we are still adapting to.” The official added that the Israeli military is deploying “all defense technologies” available, while acknowledging there is no “complete protection” against such drones.

In recent weeks, Hezbollah has intensified its use of FPV (first-person view) drones in attacks against Israeli forces deployed in several areas of southern Lebanon. Videos released by the group show the drones targeting Israeli soldiers and military vehicles, while official Israeli figures indicate a significant rise in casualties linked to Hezbollah drone attacks.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq ranked fourth among OPEC members in completed well drilling activity during 2025, according to new OPEC data showing continued momentum in the country’s oil sector despite trailing the Gulf producers leading the organization.

Kuwait topped the list with 755 completed wells, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 444 and Saudi Arabia with 383, while Iraq recorded 280 wells during the year.

The data also pointed to improving global demand for transport-related fuel products in 2025, with diesel demand rising by 0.39%, gasoline by 0.34%, and jet fuel by 0.29%.

Residual fuel demand, however, declined by 0.19%, reflecting shifting consumption patterns as road and air transport activity continued to recover alongside expanding global trade and tourism.

Shafaq News- Tehran

The control of the Strait of Hormuz could generate economic returns for Iran equivalent to twice its oil revenues, Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akrami Nia stated on Wednesday, adding that such control would strengthen Tehran’s foreign policy position.

In remarks carried by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, Akrami Nia said the western section of the Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while the eastern section falls under the authority of the Iranian army’s navy.

He also claimed that “US weapons in regional bases have been destroyed,” vowing that Iran “will no longer allow these weapons to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The Iranian military spokesperson emphasized that Iran’s adversaries had seen only part of the country’s military capabilities, which he alleged they “had not imagined before.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that more than 1,500 foreign vessels were waiting on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz for Iranian authorization to transit through the waterway.

On Tuesday, the IRGC expanded the operational scope of the Strait of Hormuz to include additional coastal and inland areas.

CNN reported that US President Donald Trump is increasingly weighing military options against Iran, as frustration builds inside the White House over stalled negotiations and ongoing tensions in the strategic maritime corridor.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A four-year-old girl died after being raped and thrown into a sewage water basin in eastern Baghdad, Iraqi police sources revealed to Shafaq News on Wednesday.

The incident occurred three days ago in the al-Dasim area on the al-Rusafa side of the capital. According to preliminary investigations, the assailants had abducted a 15-year-old girl who was accompanying the child. The teenager was severely beaten during an attempted rape but managed to escape, while the suspects kept the younger child in their custody and subjected her to “criminal acts.”

The girl was later found alive and transferred for treatment, but she died on Wednesday from severe injuries sustained across different parts of her body.

Security forces subsequently arrested three suspects linked to the crime, with the preliminary investigation indicating the suspects were likely under the influence of narcotics at the time of the assault, pending final forensic findings.

The Iraqi Penal Code (No. 111 of 1969) prescribes severe punishments for crimes such as child rape (punishable by death) and severe physical assault (leading to over three years in prison).

In 2023, Basra’s Criminal Court sentenced a man to death for luring, raping, and killing a minor before dumping her body in a waste site. The same year, al-Rusafa Criminal Court issued a death sentence against a convicted offender for abducting and raping two girls in Baghdad, while the Saladin Criminal Court sentenced another man to 15 years in prison for raping a child.

According to Iraq’s Forensic Medicine Department, 421 sexual assault cases were documented nationwide during the first half of 2024, including 327 female victims and 94 male victims. Rights groups warn the real number is likely higher because many assaults go unreported due to social stigma and fear of retaliation.

In 2026, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council began preparing guidelines for documenting sexual assault crimes in coordination with the Health Ministry’s Forensic Medicine Department and Physicians for Human Rights.

Read more: Child abuse in Iraq: a cry for justice and systemic change

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Erbil

The US dollar closed Wednesday’s trading mixed in Iraq, hovering around 154,000 dinars per 100 dollars.

According to Shafaq News market survey, the dollar traded in Baghdad's Al-Kifah and Al-Harithiya exchanges at 153,800 dinars per 100 dollars, unchanged from the morning session.

In the Iraqi capital, exchange shops sold the dollar at 154,250 dinars and bought it at 153,250 dinars, while in Erbil, selling prices stood at 153,550 dinars and buying prices at 153,450 dinars.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Jabbar Goran, spokesperson for the currency market in al-Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, expected the formation of Iraq’s new government to help lower the dollar exchange rate against the dinar in local markets, citing anticipated “US support” that could positively affect the financial market.

Goran predicted the exchange rate could fall below 150,000 dinars per 100 dollars in the coming period if regional conditions stabilize. He added that the gap between the official exchange rate of 132,000 dinars and the market rate should normally remain within 12,000 to 13,000 dinars.

Shafaq News

Every summer, when Iraq’s electricity grid begins to strain under rising temperatures, the crisis that follows is never just technical. It is geopolitical. On one side, gas flows from Iran keep power plants running. On the other, the dollars that finance those imports —and sustain Iraq’s entire state budget— move through a financial system overseen by the United States.

These are often described as two separate dependencies. In reality, they form two sides of a single strategic equation. Iran’s leverage is built into Iraq’s energy supply. The United States’ leverage is embedded in its financial bloodstream. Between them, Iraq has become a space where competition is operational, constant, and deeply consequential.

This dual structure did not emerge overnight. It has taken shape gradually since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein, embedding itself in the foundations of Iraq’s post-war economic order and becoming more entrenched over time.

Read more: Twenty-three years on: Iraq got what the 2003 invasion produced

Wired to Tehran

Iran’s relationship with Iraq is often framed through trade. According to Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization, bilateral exchange reached about $11.6 billion in 2025, with a target of $15 billion by 2026. Iraq’s Ministry of Finance identifies Iran as one of its largest sources of imported goods. Yet the strategic significance of the relationship extends far beyond commercial exchange, particularly in the energy sector.

Data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that Iranian natural gas fuels power plants responsible for roughly 30% to 40% of Iraq’s electricity generation, placing Tehran at the center of Iraq’s energy stability.

The scale of dependency becomes clearer when measured against domestic demand. Iraq imports about 15 million cubic meters of gas per day, while its gas-fired power stations require roughly 50 million. The resulting shortfall —around 35 million cubic meters daily— leaves the system operating at only about 30% of its required capacity.

On paper, Iraq is permitted to import up to 50 million cubic meters per day under its arrangement with Iran. In practice, deliveries consistently fall below that ceiling, creating a gap between formal capacity and actual supply. That gap is where leverage quietly operates.

During periods of reduced inflows, including in March 2026, Iraq lost between 4,000 and 4,500 megawatts of generating capacity, forcing plants to scale back operations and pushing the grid into crisis during peak summer demand. Access to fuel has therefore become closely tied to timing, reliability, and predictability —factors that directly shape domestic stability.

Iran’s economic influence also extends well beyond gas supplies. Figures from Iraq’s Central Statistical Organization show that Baghdad imported more than $7 billion worth of Iranian non-oil products in the first seven months of 2025, including construction materials, machinery, food, and plastics. These goods are deeply embedded in everyday consumption patterns, especially in Iraq’s southern provinces like Basra, Karbala, and Dhi Qar.

At the same time, Iraq’s exports to Iran remain between $400 million and $700 million annually, mostly raw materials and agricultural products. The imbalance reinforces a broader structural asymmetry between the two economies.

Along the border, Iranian goods circulate through partially regulated channels. Financial transactions often bypass formal banking systems, forming what the International Monetary Fund (IMF) describes as a parallel economic layer that weakens oversight and increases exposure to external shocks. Over time, Iran’s role has expanded beyond that of a neighboring supplier, becoming intertwined with Iraq’s consumption networks, energy system, and segments of its informal economy.

But this is only one side of the equation. The other is not a counterweight; it is a different kind of control system entirely.

Read more: Iraq's power crisis: Dependence on Iranian gas and limited alternatives

The Green Gate

More than 85% of Iraq’s government income comes from oil, according to the World Bank. Those revenues pass through accounts at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before being released in US dollars to Baghdad.

The arrangement emerged in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led regime change and was designed to integrate Iraq’s oil revenues into a monitored international financial system. Over time, it evolved into a structural feature of Iraq’s economic sovereignty, effectively placing liquidity management within an externally supervised framework while maintaining the appearance of financial independence.

As a result, Iraq’s fiscal core remains tied to a system beyond its direct control. Government spending —including salaries, pensions, and subsidies— depends on the uninterrupted conversion of oil revenues into liquidity. The state’s ability to function is therefore shaped not only by how much revenue it generates, but also by the speed and conditions under which those funds become accessible.

This framework is reinforced through periodic cash shipments linked to oil revenues, typically ranging between $400 million and $500 million per transfer. The flows help stabilize domestic liquidity while also illustrating Iraq’s continuing reliance on external financial authorization.

Whenever transfers are delayed or suspended, the consequences emerge quickly. Dollar scarcity intensifies inside the country, pressure mounts on the Iraqi dinar, and import costs rise across essential goods.

Recent developments have underscored the scale of this vulnerability. According to the US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Washington has halted roughly $500 million in cash shipments to Iraq amid pressure linked to Iran-backed groups, while also suspending parts of security cooperation with Baghdad. Kataib Hezbollah and elements within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have been specifically cited in relation to financial restrictions and enforcement measures.

At the center of the system stands Rafidain Bank, which channels oil revenues after their release from New York and distributes them across the Iraqi economy, including public sector salaries. Under the new US oversight framework, parts of this distribution have shifted through smaller institutions such as Al-Nahrain Islamic Bank, altering the channels through which funds move without changing the underlying structure itself.

The financial system also serves as a mechanism for behavioral pressure. US authorities have tightened access to the dollar system for Iraqi banks suspected of facilitating transactions linked to sanctioned financial networks. The measures include efforts to restrict monetary flows connected to Iran-aligned actors operating within Iraq’s political and security landscape.

The effect is therefore cumulative: banking supervision becomes a mechanism of geopolitical pressure. Speaking to Shafaq News, Myles Caggins, who served three tours in Iraq between 2003 and 2020, noted that currency restrictions and banking oversight function as tools to encourage Iraq to reduce reliance on Iranian energy while also restricting illicit financial flows.

“The United States is using all elements of its power to encourage Iraq to distance itself from Iranian control, particularly after attacks by outlaw groups such as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) on American assets,” he explained, describing economic leverage as the main focus at this stage.

He added that restrictions on liquidity and access to dollars carry clear macroeconomic consequences, placing pressure on exchange rates, raising import costs, and fueling inflation in a highly dollar-dependent economy like Iraq.

But the deeper impact is slower and more structural. “When formal banking channels tighten, parts of the economy shift into informal networks, increasing opacity and weakening the state’s ability to fully track financial flows,” he remarked, pointing to recent comments by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who expressed a desire to recalibrate Baghdad’s ties with both Washington and Tehran toward a more balanced relationship.

Read more: Sovereignty strain: US sanctions trigger Iraq's liquidity nightmare

Sovereignty Divided

Iraq’s experience is shaped by the simultaneous presence of two external systems operating through different mechanisms inside the same state structure. Together, they have narrowed Baghdad’s room for independent economic maneuvering.

Since 2003, Iraq has struggled to transform formal sovereignty into fully autonomous state capacity. Its political landscape remains divided between forces that lean toward Washington —often including parts of the Kurdish and Sunni communities— and others that prioritize ties with Tehran, particularly within the Shiite camp. External pressure, as a result, is reinforced not only from abroad, but also through internal political alignments.

Baghdad has nevertheless attempted to ease parts of these dependencies by expanding domestic gas production, pursuing electricity connections with Gulf States, and introducing banking reforms. Progress, however, remains uneven and constrained by structural challenges that cannot be resolved quickly, according to the World Bank.

Until Iraq moves beyond this model, its sovereignty is likely to remain constrained in practice.

Read more: Multiple actors, one battlefield: Iraq since US-Israel-Iran war began

Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Health Minister Saleh Al-Hasnawi, who currently serves as acting communications minister, filed a legal complaint on Wednesday against former Communications Minister Hiyam Al-Yasiri on charges of defamation.

A document reviewed by Shafaq News shows that the complaint was linked to social media posts and statements published by Al-Yasiri on Facebook, including a letter she submitted to Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission alleging irregularities related to the reinstatement of disciplined and dismissed employees at the Communications Ministry.

The document stated that Al-Hasnawi considered the allegations “misleading” and damaging to him personally and administratively, prompting him to pursue legal action.

On May 6, 2026, Al-Yasiri submitted a complaint to the Integrity Commission against Al-Hasnawi and officials at the Communications Ministry, accusing them of reinstating employees who had been disciplined or dismissed despite final judicial rulings issued against them.

She also alleged that authorities had halted procedures aimed at recovering large sums of money she said had been wasted by the state-owned telecommunications company, arguing that reinstating the employees “undermines justice and anti-corruption efforts.”

Shafaq News- Amman/ Baghdad

Jordan’s electricity exports to Iraq through the Trebil border crossing increased by 13% during the first four months of 2026, according to data released Wednesday by Jordan’s National Electric Power Company (NEPCO).

Exports to the border center reached 2.6 gigawatt-hours between January and April, up from 2.3 GWh during the same period last year. NEPCO’s total electricity sales rose 3.5% year-on-year to 7,683.2 GWh from 7,420.6 GWh, while Jordan’s overall electricity exports increased 24.7% to 124.2 GWh from 99.6 GWh, with supplies distributed between Iraq and Palestine.

The increase comes as Iraq seeks alternative electricity sources to ease pressure on its national grid amid recurring summer shortages and disruptions in imported Iranian gas supplies. Iraqi Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa Al-Abadi previously told Shafaq News that interruptions in Iranian gas supplies had knocked more than 3,000 MW off the national grid.

Earlier today, Diyala’s Electricity Distribution Branch stated that the province was receiving just 500 megawatts against demand exceeding 2,400 MW during peak summer consumption.

Read more: Iraq power 2026: war on Iran collapses grid ahead of peak summer

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s parliament is set to vote on May 14 on Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi’s cabinet despite not yet receiving the names or résumés of candidates for ministerial posts, Hoqooq parliamentary bloc* member Miqdad Al-Khafaji said Wednesday.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Al-Khafaji described the process as “an unsuccessful beginning” for the incoming administration, arguing that the cabinet was being formed on the basis of partisan, sectarian, and ethnic power-sharing rather than competence and integrity.

The bloc hoped candidates’ names and résumés would be submitted to lawmakers at least 48 hours before the confidence session to allow time to assess their qualifications and records, he said, warning of a possible boycott if lawmakers remained unconvinced by the ministerial nominees.

Basra MPs Uday Awad and Amer Al-Fayez had also warned that lawmakers from the province could boycott the session if Basra was denied key ministerial portfolios.

Iraq’s parliament presidency has officially scheduled Thursday for the vote on Al-Zaidi’s cabinet following days of political disputes over the timing of the announcement and the distribution of portfolios among rival factions. Political sources earlier told Shafaq News that disagreements persist over sovereign and security ministries, particularly the oil and defense portfolios, raising the possibility that Al-Zaidi could present only part of his cabinet for approval.

* Hoqooq is the political wing of the armed group Kataib Hezbollah and is part of the Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest bloc with about 162 of parliament's 329 seats.

Read more: Ali al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Iraq’s Military Intelligence Directorate arrested on Wednesday a wanted suspect accused of terrorism-related crimes during an operation in Kirkuk, the service said, clarifying that he was involved in executions and assassinations targeting civilians and security personnel.

A security source told Shafaq News that the detainee, identified as “Abu al-Baraa,” was among the commanders involved in the 2015 attack on Kirkuk.

In a statement, Military Intelligence said the suspect was arrested at a house in the al-Dibis district of Kirkuk province, describing him as a dangerous operative linked to several attacks, including the execution of three members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a state-linked paramilitary force, in Hawija market in 2015, and being involved in the assassination of a local mukhtar -a neighborhood chief- as well as the killing of an engineer in Kirkuk province.

On May 6, Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out two airstrikes targeting ISIS positions in the Hamrin mountain range within the Kirkuk operations sector, killing three militants. The strikes hit two sites allegedly used by ISIS members for shelter and logistical support, with both locations destroyed.

Shafaq News- Erbil

The Vatican on Wednesday praised the Kurdistan Region’s support for Christians and other minorities during a meeting between Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the Vatican’s ambassador to Iraq, Apostolic Nuncio Miroslaw Wachowski.

Wachowski conveyed the “appreciation and gratitude” of Pope Leo XIV to Barzani for promoting peaceful coexistence in the Region, saying that Iraqi Kurdistan holds “a special place” in the Pope’s heart.

Barzani, meanwhile, reaffirmed the Kurdistan Regional Government’s support for the success of Wachowski’s mission in Iraq. The two sides also discussed the KRG’s reform agenda and ongoing talks surrounding the formation of Iraq’s new federal government.

Prime Minister @masrourbarzani received Miroslaw Wachowski, the new Apostolic Nuncio of the Vatican to Iraq, to reaffirm KRG's support for the success of his mission.https://t.co/cw9KhzMVqL

— Kurdistan Regional Government (@Kurdistan) May 13, 2026

Iraq’s Christian population has fallen sharply over the past two decades, declining from about 1.5 million before the 2003 US-led invasion to between 150,000 and 250,000 today, according to Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, former Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. The decline accelerated after ISIS seized large parts of northern Iraq in 2014, displacing hundreds of thousands of Christians and other minorities, many of whom fled to the Kurdistan Region, particularly Erbil and Duhok.

Read more: Christians of Iraq: Where did they go?

Shafaq News- Saladin

Local authorities in Tikrit of Saladin province, have launched a campaign in coordination with Iraqi security forces to shut down alcohol shops across the city center.

The Tikrit district administration indicated that the campaign, which began on May 12, includes obtaining written pledges from shop owners and removing alcoholic beverages from stores as part of measures aimed at enforcing existing regulations and ensuring compliance.

Tikrit’s local government imposed a ban on alcohol sales inside the city in 2018, citing what officials at the time described as a lack of social acceptance among residents.

At the national level, Iraq banned the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in social clubs in November 2024. Since 2020, the Interior Ministry has also carried out campaigns targeting nightclubs, entertainment venues, and alcohol shops in Baghdad.

Read more: Iraq’s alcohol ban: How enforcement outpaced social policy

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi security forces carried out a controlled explosion of war remnants near Baghdad International Airport on Wednesday, a police source told Shafaq News.

The materials included rockets, ammunition, and other unexploded ordnance previously recovered during search operations in several areas.

The detonation was fully controlled and posed no security threat.

Read more: Iraq after the regional ceasefire: US bases and unresolved political questions

Shafaq News- Damascus

Israeli forces detained a Syrian civilian during a raid on the village of Maariya in the Yarmouk Basin area of southwestern Daraa province on Wednesday before releasing him several hours later, Syria’s state-run SANA reported.

An Israeli patrol also reportedly entered the village of Saida al-Golan in neighboring Quneitra province, searched several homes, and later withdrew. The movements coincided with heightened military alertness and surveillance drone flights over the area, raising tensions among residents, particularly in villages near the Alpha Line, the boundary between Israeli-occupied territory and the buffer zone.

Syrian state media said authorities accused Israel of repeatedly violating the 1974 disengagement agreement through incursions into southern Syria, including raids, arrests, and land-clearing operations.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented 620 Israeli ground incursions between December 2024 and February 2026, with Daraa and Quneitra recording the highest number of operations.

Damascus has repeatedly called for a full Israeli withdrawal from positions seized after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, describing the move as a prerequisite for future security negotiations. Israeli officials, however, maintain that their forces will remain in those areas for national security reasons.

Read more: Syria's shifting stance: Is normalization with Israel on the horizon?

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday rejected reports of an attack on the Iraqi Writers Union headquarters after an unidentified man threw a sound grenade near the site in central Baghdad.

The incident caused no casualties or material damage, and security forces launched an investigation to identify those responsible.

Shafaq News- Paris

Global oil inventories fell by 246 million barrels in March and April as the US-Israeli war on Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz caused one of the sharpest supply shocks in modern energy markets, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday.

In its monthly oil market report, the Paris-based agency warned that shrinking crude supplies were outpacing the decline in global demand, with inventories and available supply falling at a pace approaching 4 million barrels per day (bpd).

The conflict had already removed or stranded more than 1 billion barrels of Middle Eastern oil supplies, while disruptions linked to the war were expected to weaken global oil demand by around 420,000 bpd this year due to higher prices and slowing economic growth.

Oil markets have remained volatile since Iran tightened restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas flows. Brent crude prices rose more than 3% earlier this week to trade above $107 per barrel.

Read more: Iraq's energy vulnerability: When a petro-state has no buffer

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Erbil

On Wednesday, gold prices hovered around 1 million IQD per mithqal in Baghdad and Erbil markets, holding steady, according to Shafaq News Agency survey.

Gold prices on Baghdad's Al-Nahr Street recorded a selling price of 1,015,000 IQD per mithqal (equivalent to five grams) for 21-carat gold, including Gulf, Turkish, and European varieties, with a buying price of 1,011,000 IQD. The same gold had sold for 1,015,000 IQD on Tuesday.

The selling price for 21-carat Iraqi gold stood at 985,000 IQD, with a buying price of 981,000 IQD.

In jewelry stores, the selling price per mithqal of 21-carat Gulf gold ranged between 1,015,000 and 1,025,000 IQD, while Iraqi gold sold for between 985,000 and 995,000 IQD.

In Erbil, 22-carat gold was sold at 1,048,000 IQD per mithqal, 21-carat gold at 1,000,000 IQD, and 18-carat gold at 857,000 IQD.

Shafaq News- Diyala

Iraq’s Diyala province is receiving 500 megawatts of electricity against demand exceeding 2,400 MW during peak summer consumption, the Diyala Electricity Distribution Branch stated on Wednesday, attributing the shortfall to lower national generation and disruptions in imported gas supplies from “neighboring countries.”

The branch warned that any emergency or disruption affecting the national grid could further reduce supply to one hour on against four hours off, adding that the current allocation was “insufficient” to stabilize distribution networks and meet rising demand amid soaring temperatures and increased summer loads.

The shortages are affecting Diyala, an eastern Iraqi province home to nearly 2 million residents, amid mounting pressure on Iraq’s electricity sector following disruptions to Iranian gas supplies during the US-Israeli war on Iran earlier this year.

“All secondary substations, transmission lines, and electricity distribution networks in the province are fully ready to operate and handle electrical loads if Diyala receives increased allocations and the necessary power supply.”

Disruptions in Iranian gas supplies have already knocked more than 3,000 MW off the national grid, Iraqi Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa al-Abadi told Shafaq News in March. Imports later resumed at sharply reduced levels of around 5 million cubic meters per day compared with contracted volumes of 50 million.

The Electricity Ministry has also warned that summer demand could approach 40 GW against production estimated at roughly 29 GW, while Iranian gas has historically supported nearly one-third of the country’s electricity generation.

Read more: Iraq power 2026: war on Iran collapses the grid's last defenses ahead of peak summer

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Parliament will convene on Thursday to vote on the ministerial program and cabinet formation presented by Prime Minister-designate Ali Faleh al-Zaidi.

According to an official parliamentary document, Session No. 24 is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. local time on May 14.

President Nizar Amedi tasked al-Zaidi with forming a new government on April 27, 2026, succeeding former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Read more: Ali al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead