Shafaq News- Baghdad

NATO is considering returning its mission to Iraq after relocating all personnel to Italy during the recent Middle East conflict, the alliance’s former mission commander, French General Christophe Hintzy, told AFP on Friday.

Hintzy explained that NATO military staff were studying “various options” to reestablish the operation in Iraq, without specifying when or how such a move could take place.

Earlier this week, Hintzy handed command of the NATO mission to Spanish General Ramon Armada. During the handover ceremony, he indicated that any future return would likely take place “step by step” and in a reduced format. “We won’t be going back in the same configuration. It will be a much smaller setup,” he remarked.

The NATO mission in Iraq was launched in 2018 at the request of the Iraqi government as a non-combat advisory operation focused on strengthening Iraqi military and security capabilities. Before the redeployment, around 750 personnel from 21 countries, alongside roughly 500 contractors, were stationed in Baghdad.

On March 18 and 20, NATO evacuated about 1,300 personnel to Europe in two rotations, nearly three weeks after the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran later carried out strikes in Iraq and Gulf states against targets it described as linked to the United States and Israel.

Since the evacuation, NATO has continued operating remotely from its regional command headquarters in Naples, southern Italy.

Shafaq News- Damascus

Syria and Iraq are seeking to double bilateral trade within the next two years, with expectations that commercial exchange could surpass pre-war levels before the end of 2027, a senior Syrian economic adviser at Syria’s Ministry of Economy told Shafaq News on Friday.

Osama Al-Qadi explained that the move reflects growing interest from both countries in reviving trade ties after years of decline. Trade exchange between the two neighbors reached around $2.2 billion in 2010 before falling sharply in recent years to nearly $62 million.

He also described the Iraqi market as an attractive opportunity for Syrian manufacturers, adding that “Iraq’s economy is estimated at around $250 billion and shares a 605-kilometer land border with Syria.”

Iraq’s main crossings with Syria —including Al-Yarubiyah-Rabia, Al-Bukamal, and Al-Qaim, alongside routes through the Jazira and Euphrates regions— represent a vital artery for trade exchange and access to a major consumer market requiring a wide range of goods, including food, agricultural products, medicines, textiles, household electrical appliances, and transport and logistics services, he noted.

According to Al-Qadi, Syrian products remain competitive in Iraq due to their acceptable quality and geographic proximity, which lowers transportation costs and gives Syrian manufacturers a strong understanding of Iraqi consumer preferences. He stressed the need to comply with Syrian quality and standards regulations to preserve the reputation of local products in the Iraqi market, while also calling for easier payment and money transfer procedures, as well as simplified customs and truck transit measures in coordination with the Iraqi government.

He also pointed to the importance of organizing industrial exhibitions in major Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, Mosul, and Erbil, to promote Syrian products and encourage joint investment opportunities.

Iraq remains one of Syria’s main trading partners alongside Turkiye, Jordan, and Lebanon, with Syrian exports to Iraq rising from about $58 million in 2024 to nearly $62 million in 2025, according to figures from Iraq’s Finance Ministry.

Shafaq News- Doha/ Tehran

A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with the United States to help secure an agreement to end the war with Iran, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the report.

Pakistan has led the formal mediation efforts since the outbreak of fighting, while Qatar’s return comes amid continued diplomatic attempts to preserve the fragile ceasefire reached after US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28.

A proposed US-Iran agreement includes guarantees for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, gradual sanctions relief for Tehran, and a joint mechanism to monitor implementation and resolve disputes, according to the Saudi Al-Hadath news agency. The reported framework also commits both sides to international law and the UN Charter, with negotiations on unresolved issues expected to begin within a week of any formal announcement.

Read more: Trump’s balancing act with Iran tests diplomacy and deterrence

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Harakat Al-Nujaba reaffirmed its rejection to proposals to integrate the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) into Iraq’s formal security structure, Hussein al-Saeedi, deputy head of the movement’s executive council, stated on Friday, describing the initiative as an American project.

In an address during a tribal gathering in Basra titled “Iraq’s Tribes Support the People of Principle”, Al-Saeedi said the “weapons of the resistance are a trust, historical, non-negotiable, and religious responsibility to protect the land and holy sites,” adding that disarming the “resistance” would leave society without protection amid ongoing threats.

“The Islamic resistance supports the peaceful transfer of power despite not holding political representation in current or previous governments,” he stressed, referring to discussions surrounding a reported plan to merge the PMF, Federal Police, and Rapid Response Forces into what he described as a Federal Security Ministry.

“The project to merge the PMF is ineffective and impossible to implement,” he said, warning that those insisting on pursuing it “will pay a political and popular price.”

He also argued that the PMF, Federal Police, and Rapid Response Forces derived their strength from remaining independent of what he called “American dominance,” noting that efforts to dissolve the PMF’s ideological identity were “completely rejected.”

Read more: Ali Al-Zaidi's incomplete cabinet faces Iraqi armed factions test

The remarks come following a renewed debate over arms control and the future of armed factions in Iraq following the approval of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s government program by parliament earlier this month. The program included a pledge to restrict weapons exclusively to state institutions.

Harakat al-Nujaba Secretary-General Akram al-Kaabi recently rejected US calls to disarm Iraqi armed factions, calling this a “red line” that would not be abandoned “even at the cost of lives.”

Former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Aal-Sudani had also issued directives in April ordering tighter state control over weapons and imposing stricter measures against armed groups operating outside the law.

Founded in 2013 by Akram Al-Kaabi after splitting from Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, Al-Nujaba operates under the PMF umbrella and was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019. Unlike several Iran-aligned factions affiliated with the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), Al-Nujaba does not hold parliamentary seats and is not formally part of the alliance, which controls around 180 seats in Iraq's 329-member parliament.

Read more: What does Iraq's new government promise? A guide to Ali Al-Zaidi's ministerial program

Shafaq News- Baghdad

In the narrow alleyways of old Baghdad, traditional cafés still hold tightly to the Iraqi city’s fading memory, where brass tea kettles, the scent of cardamom, and slow conversations continue to outlive the rush of modern life.

Across al-Kifah, Bab al-Sheikh, and al-Sadriya, little seems to have changed. Old wooden chairs remain in their places, tea is served the same way generations of Baghdadis remember it, and faded photographs hanging from the walls preserve faces and moments from another time.

Shafaq News toured several of the historic cafés, capturing scenes of a Baghdad that still survives behind the capital’s expanding concrete and crowded streets.

The walls carry portraits of kings, politicians, artists, and religious figures inside worn classic frames, alongside aging clocks and ceiling fans that continue to turn slowly above customers gathered beneath them.

These cafés are no longer visited only by older residents recalling the past. Many young Iraqis now seek out the spaces for their quiet atmosphere and sense of nostalgia, far removed from the modern cafés that have spread across the city in recent years.

Despite decades of change, the cafés remain among the last places where the city’s older character still breathes —holding onto the stories of generations and guarding fragments of the past as if time had paused inside them.

Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran reappointed Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to lead Tehran’s negotiating delegation in talks with the United States, while Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei was named the delegation’s official spokesperson, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Friday.

Citing a diplomatic source in Islamabad, IRNA said that Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir, who was originally scheduled to travel on May 21, is expected to visit Tehran today as part of the mediation efforts between the United States and Iran.

Meanwhile, Saudi Al-Hadath quoted informed sources saying that a draft agreement includes guarantees for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and gradual sanctions relief for Tehran.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week that negotiations with Tehran had shown “some good signs” despite what he described as divisions within Iran’s leadership, warning that Tehran’s new transit restrictions and fees in Hormuz could derail any potential agreement with Washington.

Shafaq News- Beirut

Hezbollah launched a drone strike against an Israeli artillery position in the southern Lebanese town of Odaysseh on Friday, as air-raid sirens activated across northern Israel amid reports of additional aerial infiltrations.

The Israeli army confirmed the detection of several suspicious aerial targets in border areas with Lebanon and said an investigation was underway. Israeli military helicopters were observed operating along the northern frontier, according to Israeli media.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it targeted the Israeli artillery post with a drone, without specifying casualties or damage.

Israel's Home Front Command activated sirens in at least three communities in the Western Galilee and Upper Galilee —Shtula, Netu'a, and Zar'it— over suspected drone infiltrations. Israeli Channel 12 reported explosions and rising columns of smoke in the Western Galilee region.

Meanwhile, Israeli artillery continues targeting the towns in multiple southern Lebanese districts, including Debbine, Kafra, Haris, Majdal Zoun, Tebnin, and Yater, as well as the Nabatieh area, according to Lebanese media.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported 22 killed and 39 wounded in Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours. Six of the dead were paramedics killed in Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr, Hanaway. The cumulative toll since the Israeli war began on March 2 stands at 3,111 killed and 9,432 wounded.

Read more: Israeli commanders call Lebanon mission purposeless; Hezbollah keeps killing

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq suspended the entry of live animals from Syria and tightened veterinary inspections at border crossings after reports of foot-and-mouth disease infections in Syria’s Raqqa province, the Iraqi Veterinary Directorate said on Friday.

The temporary ban would remain in place until the epidemiological situation becomes fully clear, the directorate noted. Surveillance levels had been raised to the highest degree nationwide, while veterinary hospitals at border crossings and inside the country were instructed to intensify inspections of incoming livestock and immediately report any suspected infections.

“Veterinary and health measures are applied equally to all countries based on official reports, epidemiological monitoring systems, and continuous assessments of health conditions in neighboring countries.”

Last April, veterinary authorities in Raqqa province reported a rise in foot-and-mouth disease infections among cattle and sheep, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA. Mahmoud Al-Mahmoud, head of Raqqa’s Health and Animal Production Department, warned that limited medical supplies were insufficient for the province’s nearly three million livestock, noting that the disease poses a major threat to young animals, with lamb mortality rates reaching up to 100%.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Environmental protection and public health have emerged among the priorities of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s government, which approved sweeping restrictions on plastic bags nearly one week after parliament endorsed its program and part of the cabinet lineup.

The measures include, within six months, ending the free distribution of plastic shopping bags, prohibiting their use in bakeries, and halting their importation while replacing them with environmentally friendly biodegradable alternatives.

The government also approved imposing fees on factories producing nylon bags, as well as environmental monitoring and assessment fees for plastic bag producers, with part of the revenues allocated to recycling and awareness programs.

In addition, a specialized committee was formed to support waste sorting and recycling projects, encourage investment in paper industries, and facilitate a gradual transition toward paper bags.

The decisions build on earlier government measures introduced in 2018, when Baghdad banned the import of recycled plastic materials used in food and beverage packaging over concerns they could contain carcinogenic or harmful substances.

Read more: What does Iraq's new government promise? A guide to Ali Al-Zaidi's ministerial program

Explaining the environmental and health risks behind the new restrictions, Environment Ministry spokesperson Luay Al-Mukhtar described plastic pollution as a “global concern,” warning that Iraq is increasingly affected by the crisis. He told Shafaq News that plastics account for nearly 40% of the waste generated by Iraqis, equivalent to around 400 grams per person daily, attributing the trend to the low cost and excessive consumption of plastic products.

Al-Mukhtar also cautioned that many plastic products are unsafe for food use because they can transfer microplastic particles and hazardous substances into food, particularly when used with hot meals. He added that the difficulty of recycling certain types of plastic has turned them into “a burden on the state” in waste management, as well as on water resources, soil, wildlife, and the broader environment.

Only about 20% of Iraq’s plastic waste is recycled, according to environmental specialist Salahuddin Al-Zaidi, while the remainder accumulates in landfills or flows into rivers.

Fadel Al-Gharawi, head of Iraq’s Strategic Center for Human Rights, warned that plastic bags harm more than 700 species of wild and marine animals in Iraq and called for bans on their import and production, wider use of paper bags, and nationwide awareness campaigns.

Read more: Iraq’s plastic piles grow: Activists face stigma

Shafaq News- Najaf

Sadr al-Din al-Qubbanji, senior leader in the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, warned on Friday of reports that a regional Arab coalition is being formed to carry out airstrikes against Iraqi armed factions and their bases inside Iraq, adding that if correct, these countries will "bear the consequences."

Al-Qubbanji, who is also Najaf’s imam, said during a religious sermon that international media outlets had reported the formation of a five-nation Arab coalition —comprising countries neighboring Iraq— to strike the leadership and military installations of Iraqi armed factions. "We hope this report is not accurate…we affirm that Iraq respects its neighbors and has no desire for a political crisis with them."

Read more: Ali Al-Zaidi's incomplete cabinet faces Iraqi armed factions test

The warning was issued days after a drone struck an electrical generator near the Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, with the UAE's Defense Ministry confirming that technical tracking showed all three drones involved in the May 17 attack originated from Iraqi territory. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense separately reported that three drones entered Saudi airspace from the direction of Iraq on May 18. Baghdad said it detected no launches toward the two countries.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the formation of a high-level investigative committee during the opening session of the National Security Council's Ministerial Committee, renewing Iraq's condemnation of the attacks on both countries.

Following the February 28 US-Israeli military operation against Iran, Iran-aligned armed groups operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) umbrella carried out drone and missile strikes against US-linked facilities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Gulf states, including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Airstrikes attributed to unidentified actors have since struck PMF headquarters across multiple Iraqi provinces, including Diyala, Al-Anbar, and Al-Muthanna.

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Health authorities in Nineveh, northern Iraq, recorded a new case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) on Friday involving a 24-year-old man, marking the second confirmed infection in the province within three days, a source at Nineveh Health Directorate told Shafaq News.

The patient was admitted to Al-Salam Teaching Hospital on May 19 as a suspected case before laboratory tests conducted in Baghdad confirmed the infection, prompting his transfer to Al-Shifa Specialized Hospital for treatment and monitoring.

According to the Shafaq News tracker, Iraq has recorded 16 CCHF cases since the beginning of this year without any fatalities.

Shafaq News

The dollar held near a six-week peak on Friday, after conflicting signals over a U.S.-Iran peace ​deal whipped up volatility across financial markets, though investors latched on to hopes of some progress.

Washington and Tehran stuck to opposing stances ‌over the latter's uranium stockpile and control of the Strait of Hormuz, although U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been "some good signs" in talks.

The mixed messages whipsawed markets overnight, though currency moves were largely subdued in Asian trade on Friday as investors awaited more clarity.

The dollar was a touch higher and stood at 99.23 against a basket of currencies, not ​far from a peak of 99.515 hit in the previous session, its highest since April 7.

The euro, which was headed for a second weekly ​loss, was down 0.1% on the day at $1.1607, while the pound was slightly lower at $1.342, having shrugged off data earlier ⁠that showed retail sales dropped by the most in nearly a year in April, as consumers felt the pinch of the inflationary effects of the Iran ​war.

The dollar found additional support from U.S. data, which showed weekly jobless claims fell last week while manufacturing activity rose to a four-year high in May, underscoring resilience in the world's ​largest economy.

"We're coming to the end of week 12, we're six weeks in the ceasefire, and I'm just not really that convinced we're any closer to a resolution between the U.S. and Iran," Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG, said of the Middle East war.

"I still feel like the risks are for the U.S. dollar to go higher, because I ​really just don't see a way out of this situation in the Middle East without them sort of needing to be more forceful."

ASIAN CURRENCIES UNDER ​PRESSURE

The U.S. dollar's strength and persistently high oil prices have spelled pain for the yen, which on Friday struggled on the weaker side of 159 per dollar. It was 0.1% ‌lower at ⁠159.09 per dollar.

The yen is teetering even after likely intervention from Tokyo just weeks ago to support it. It has given up nearly 75% of its gains from the presumed intervention, which has left traders on alert for further moves by Japanese authorities.

"It's just buying time, really. What they need is a change in fundamentals, and I think the best thing that could happen is a quick deal to end the Iran conflict," said Lee Hardman, a currency strategist at MUFG.

"I don't think you'd ​see dollar/yen drop too sharply from here, ​but even if it just ⁠got back down into the mid 150s, taking some of the selling pressure off the yen, that would probably be the best they can hope for right now."

The Bank of Japan is only expected to raise borrowing costs gradually while ​other central banks, including the European Central Bank, are likely to deliver hikes far more quickly, which puts the ​yen at a disadvantage ⁠with investors who seek out extra returns from higher domestic interest rates.

On a trade-weighted basis, the yen is at record lows, which favours its exporters but compounds the energy-price shock, given Japan's reliance on imported goods.

Data on Friday showed Japan's core inflation slowed to a four-year low in April, complicating the outlook for BOJ policy.

Currencies in emerging ⁠Asia have ​also come under immense pressure owing to the surge in global oil prices, forcing policymakers to ​take increasingly urgent and unusual steps to shore up their economies.

Earlier this week, Indonesia announced all exporters of natural resources must store 100% of their export revenues in state-owned banks from June 1, in ​a move to support the plummeting rupiah.

The rupiah was pinned near a record low on Friday at 17,710 per dollar.

(REUTERS)

Only the headline is edited by Shafaq News.

Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran

A draft agreement between the United States and Iran includes guarantees for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and gradual sanctions relief for Tehran, Al-Hadath reported on Friday.

Citing informed sources, the outlet added that the proposed framework also includes commitments to international law and the UN Charter, alongside a joint mechanism for monitoring and resolving disputes. Negotiations on unresolved issues would begin within seven days of an official announcement.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would discuss a joint initiative during a visit to China on May 23, with Beijing supporting Islamabad’s mediation efforts through a previously announced five-point proposal aimed at ending the conflict. The initiative, announced in March, called for an immediate ceasefire, renewed peace talks, restoration of maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, protection of civilians and nonmilitary infrastructure, and broader regional stabilization efforts.

Read more: Force without a finish line: Iran is losing the war, the US is losing the end game

Despite signs of progress, major disagreements remain unresolved, particularly over Iran’s uranium stockpile and Tehran’s control over Hormuz. Fars News Agency, citing sources, reported on Friday that Tehran wants to postpone discussions over the nuclear file until after the war ends, while Washington continues pushing for a comprehensive agreement covering all outstanding disputes. The United States “opposes transferring Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile to a third country” and instead insists on taking direct custody of the material, a demand Tehran has so far rejected.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had warned that Tehran’s proposed tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz also remained unacceptable.

The strait remains central to the negotiations, with roughly 20% of global oil and gas shipments passing through the waterway before the conflict erupted on February 28, according to estimates from the US Energy Information Administration and International Energy Agency. Reuters also reported that disruption to navigation through the strait contributed to sharp oil price volatility and broader supply-chain concerns, with Brent crude trading above $104 per barrel on Friday as investors monitored developments in the negotiations.

Read more: Trump’s balancing act with Iran tests diplomacy and deterrence

Shafaq News- Brussels

European Union foreign ministers voted Friday to extend the bloc's Iran sanctions framework to cover threats to freedom of navigation in the Middle East, the Council of the European Union announced.

The amended framework enables the EU to impose restrictive measures against individuals and entities linked to Iran's conduct in the Strait of Hormuz. The decision formalizes a political agreement reached at the Foreign Affairs Council on April 21.

"Iran's actions against vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz are contrary to international law," the Council said, citing violations of established rights of transit and innocent passage through international straits.

The sanctions regime was created to address Iran's military support for Russia's war in Ukraine and for armed groups operating across the Middle East and the Red Sea. Its expansion reflects a broadening of EU concern to include maritime security. Measures available under the framework include travel bans, asset freezes, and prohibitions on EU entities providing funds or resources to listed individuals and organizations.

Despite active US and EU sanctions, the International Energy Agency reported Friday that Tehran is exporting 1.4 million barrels of oil per day.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy reported today that 35 ships —including oil tankers and container vessels— had crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the preceding 24 hours under what it described as IRGC coordination. A day earlier, the IRGC put the figure at 31 vessels.

Iran’s control of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of globally traded oil moves, has entered nuclear negotiations as an open dispute. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran of attempting to establish a "tolling system" over the waterway and said Tehran was seeking to draw Oman into the arrangement. "There is not a country in the world that should accept that," Rubio said, identifying the Hormuz question as a major unresolved issue in ongoing Washington-Tehran talks.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters Friday that Berlin intends to participate in a UK-led mission to secure the strait, while clarifying that he does not consider the operation a NATO undertaking.

Iran's actions against vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz are contrary to international law.📢 From now on, the EU will be able to sanction individuals and entities threatening freedom of navigation in the Middle East.Read more: https://t.co/IxmxvfCi55 pic.twitter.com/pfXXcXPbAA

— EU Council (@EUCouncil) May 22, 2026

Shafaq News- Beirut

A Lebanese newspaper's allegation that Iraq-donated fuel had been sold off before the government formally accepted it landed Friday with the force of a scandal, and drew a detailed, combative denial from the Energy Ministry hours before the cabinet was due to rule on the matter.

At the center of the dispute is roughly one million liters of fuel oil Iraq delivered in April for Lebanese displaced persons. Thirty-one tankers crossed the al-Masnaa border crossing; 940,000 liters arrived after transit losses and have sat, the ministry says, in a dedicated tank at the Zahrani oil facilities under customs seal and independent monitoring ever since.

Al-Akhbar, the Beirut daily that broke the story, alleged portions of the fuel had changed hands below market price before the Council of Ministers accepted the grant by formal decree, the legally required step before any disposal. The Energy Ministry called that account "full of fallacies, slanders, and fabrications."

The ministry's technical defense went further. Laboratory tests at the Industrial Research Institute and at Zahrani's own central laboratory found the donated material incompatible with Electricité du Liban's specifications and with the 10 PPM diesel standard for road vehicles. Classified as gas oil, it is suited for industrial bakeries and factories, which is why the ministry has proposed selling it to those sectors at a discount rather than distributing it directly to displaced persons. Officials also disputed Al-Akhbar's description of the fuel as "red mazout," saying its color is closer to yellow.

On the separate allegation that Zahrani had already conducted unauthorized sales, the ministry clarified that what was sold on two days over a two-week period was green diesel from the facility's own standing stock, not the Iraqi grant. Proceeds, it said, went to Banque du Liban to fund incoming fuel purchases, a routine liquidity measure with no connection to the donation.

What the ministry did not address is the question Al-Akhbar's reporting leaves hanging: whether displaced Lebanese will see any direct benefit at all. If the fuel is sold and proceeds deposited into an official account, no mechanism has been publicly confirmed for directing that money toward its intended recipients. The newspaper had also called for a financial and administrative audit; the ministry's statement made no mention of one.

Neither the Iraqi Ministry of Oil nor the office of the Prime Minister has issued a statement confirming, qualifying, or commenting on this specific shipment, the 31 tankers dispatched in April for Lebanon's displaced.

Energy Minister Joe Saddi formally requested on May 19 that the grant be placed on the cabinet agenda. A government file reviewed by Al-Akhbar shows the proposed terms: sell the stored quantities at 100 to 150 dollars below the official price schedule per kiloliter, exclusively to industrial operators and bakeries, with public institutions, fuel stations, and generator operators excluded.

The Council of Ministers was scheduled to take up the matter later Friday.

Shafaq News- Beirut

Israeli strikes on Friday killed four paramedics in the southern Lebanese town of Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr and two others in Hanaway, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several others were also injured in the attacks, the ministry said, condemning the attacks as “a crime before the international community.”

A day earlier, an Israeli strike targeted the vicinity of Tebnine Governmental Hospital in Bint Jbeil district, injuring nine people, including seven hospital employees, five of them women, and causing major damage to the hospital’s emergency department, intensive care and chemotherapy units, MRI facilities, operating rooms, patient wards, waiting halls, ambulances, electrical infrastructure, surveillance systems, and staff housing sections.

Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 116 healthcare workers and injured 263 others across Lebanon, the ministry reported. The healthcare sector sustained 147 attacks during the same period, including 139 strikes affecting ambulances, damage to 16 hospitals, and attacks on 31 healthcare centers. At least 60 medical institutions were directly targeted.

According to the World Health Organization, attacks on healthcare facilities and workers in Lebanon have repeatedly disrupted access to medical care in conflict-hit areas. On April 9, the WHO representative in Lebanon, Abdinasir Abubakar, warned that hospitals could run out of life-saving trauma supplies within days after mass casualty incidents depleted nearly three weeks of medical stock in a single day.

Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Office warned that attacks targeting medical personnel and healthcare facilities could constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, particularly as continued strikes severely undermine civilian access to treatment.

Friday’s attacks came eight days after the United States announced a 45-day extension of the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire following negotiations in Washington on May 14-15. The US State Department later announced that direct military talks between Lebanese and Israeli delegations are scheduled to begin at the Pentagon on May 29, followed by political discussions on June 2-3.

Despite the extension, Israeli strikes have continued across southern Lebanon, with Israel claiming that it is targeting Hezbollah operatives, weapons infrastructure, and efforts to rebuild military capabilities. Hezbollah has meanwhile continued launching attacks, increasingly using fiber-optic suicide drones targeting troops, vehicles, positions, and settlements along the southern border, describing its operations as a response to repeated Israeli ceasefire violations.

Shafaq News

Iraq’s new Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, entered office under the shadow of an incomplete parliamentary mandate after the Iraqi parliament approved only 14 cabinet ministers, leaving nine key sovereign and service portfolios unresolved, including the ministries of Interior, Defense, and Planning.

The delay has not been viewed as a routine political dispute over appointments. Instead, it reflects deeper tensions tied to the restructuring of Iraq’s post-2003 political order and the future role of armed Shiite factions within the state apparatus.

Vacant ministries encompass some of Iraq’s most critical institutions, overseeing security, administration, and economic planning. The Interior and Defense portfolios, in particular, remain highly contentious because they are directly tied to the issue of weapons control and the influence of armed factions, a file that lies at the heart of both Baghdad’s relationship with Washington and rivalries within the Shiite political camp.

Amid a highly sensitive regional and international climate, Baghdad faces increasing US pressure alongside escalating competition among factions within the Coordination Framework. At the same time, Iraqi political forces are attempting to craft a governing arrangement capable of containing external demands without upsetting the country’s fragile internal equilibrium.

Read more: Iraq’s armed factions, state authority, and the battle over disarmament

Armed Factions and the Post-2003 Order

One of the most significant transformations in Iraq since 2003 has been the evolution of armed factions from military actors into influential political stakeholders with direct leverage over state institutions. Many of these groups expanded their influence during the war against ISIS and now maintain substantial parliamentary, political, and economic power that major Iraqi parties can no longer ignore.

Political researcher Ramadan Al-Badran told Shafaq News that the issue of armed factions is simultaneously a domestic Iraqi crisis and part of a broader regional confrontation. “The factions’ relationship with Iran makes them part of the wider tension between Tehran and Washington,” Al-Badran said, arguing that the post-2003 political system, particularly during the governments of former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki between 2006 and 2014, “effectively legitimized the presence of these groups by presenting them as defenders of Iraq’s political order.”

He questioned the current calls to limit factional influence, asking why parallel military formations were established outside the traditional army structure in the first place and why they are now being asked to retreat after years of participating in protecting the state.

Read more: Ali Al-Zaidi sworn in as Iraq's prime minister with a program already failed

A Consensus Prime Minister

Observers interviewed by Shafaq News said Al-Zaidi’s selection was less the result of political dominance within the Coordination Framework than a compromise among competing Shiite forces seeking a figure capable of managing internal rivalries.

Haitham Hadi Numan, Professor of Political Science at the University of Exeter, noted that Al-Zaidi emerged as a consensus candidate acceptable to the major factions inside the alliance, and the forces within the Coordination Framework now possess relatively balanced influence that prevents any single party from dominating. “Therefore, they chose a figure who can be politically managed.”

According to Numan, confrontation with armed factions “remains unlikely” in the current phase. Instead, Iraq’s ruling forces appear more inclined toward the “legal institutionalization” of these groups within state structures.

Read more: The Shiite Coordination Framework: Can govern Iraq, but cannot agree on a primeminister

Factions Push Back

Pillar One of al-Zaidi’s program commits the government to consolidating all weapons under exclusive state authority, meaning no armed group outside the formal military and security structure should operate independently. In most countries, this would be an unremarkable statement, but in Iraq, it is the central unresolved dilemma of the post-2003 political order.

Signs of resistance quickly emerged. Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba rejected suggestions that the government’s pledge to limit weapons to state authority applies to what it called “resistance weapons.”

The group’s Executive Council chief, Nazem Al-Saadi, stressed that the term “uncontrolled weapons” referred only to illegal arms that create “chaos,” insisting that it did not include weapons held by fighters who “defended Iraq, its holy sites, and its people during the most difficult circumstances.”

At the same time, new fractures appear to be emerging within the Coordination Framework itself.

A well-informed source revealed to Shafaq News that five influential Shiite leaders are holding advanced discussions to establish a new parliamentary alliance that could significantly reshape Iraq’s ruling coalition landscape.

The figures involved include Nouri Al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition; Hadi Al-Ameri, leader of the Badr Organization and head of the Fatah Alliance; Faleh Al-Fayyad; Humam Hamoudi; and Ahmed al-Asadi.

According to the source, the proposed bloc could include between 75 and 100 lawmakers, potentially making it one of the largest organized opposition forces in parliament despite originating from within the Shiite political establishment itself.

If formed, the alliance would signal not only dissatisfaction with Al-Zaidi’s government arrangements but also deeper competition over the future leadership of the Coordination Framework and the distribution of influence inside the Shiite camp.

Washington Pressure and Baghdad’s Balancing Act

In recent months, Washington has intensified sanctions targeting individuals linked to armed factions while repeatedly stressing that restricting weapons to state control remains a prerequisite for deeper bilateral cooperation with Baghdad.

Iraqi political sources have also spoken of an undeclared American veto against the participation of armed factions in government institutions.

The US Department of State has indicated that its relationship with the new Iraqi government will be judged “by actions, not words,” placing Baghdad in a difficult position. The Iraqi government must preserve the cohesion of its internal alliances while simultaneously avoiding confrontation with Washington, whose support remains critical for Iraq’s economic stability, security cooperation, and international relations.

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

Iraq’s Unresolved State Dilemma

According to analysts, the troubled birth of Al-Zaidi’s government underscores a structural crisis that extends far beyond cabinet formation or ministerial quotas.

At its core, the conflict concerns the nature of the Iraqi state itself: the limits of armed faction influence, the future of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and Baghdad’s relationship with competing regional and international powers.

Caught between American pressure, Iranian calculations, and the internal balance of the Coordination Framework, the new prime minister faces a defining challenge: either engineer a new political settlement capable of reorganizing the relationship between the state and armed factions or enter another prolonged phase of political paralysis.

One notable indicator of the current compromise is the absence of any explicit commitment in the government program regarding the future of the PMF or its weapons. That omission raises a central question now dominating Iraq’s political debate: can the PMF become the foundation for a broader political settlement between the state and the factions, or has the issue already moved beyond the limits of purely Iraqi solutions?

Read more: Iraq's new political equation: Armed groups' gains put pressure on US

Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.

Shafaq News- Diyala

Iraq’s Diyala police on Friday denied reports that a structure that collapsed near the provincial guesthouse in Baquba, killing two people and injuring two others, was a security watchtower.

The police command said the abandoned room had become unstable after rising water levels in the Diyala River weakened its foundations, following reports describing the site as an old concrete watchtower.

Shafaq News

Gold edged lower on Friday, pressured by a stronger ‌U.S. dollar and as elevated oil prices have raised expectations for interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Spot gold was down 0.3% at $4,527.60 per ounce, as of 0411 GMT. The metal has shed about 0.2% so far in the week.

U.S. gold futures for June delivery lost 0.3% to $4,529.10.

The dollar held near a six-week ⁠high, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies.

"What's been driving (gold) lower has been the stronger dollar, which in turn is being elevated by ongoing high interest rates pretty much around the world," said Edward Meir, an analyst at Marex.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been "some good signs" in talks withIran, although Tehran's uranium stockpile and control over the Strait of Hormuz remained sticking points.

Oil prices climbed as investors doubted the prospects of a breakthrough in the U.S.-Iran peace talks.

Elevated oil prices stoke inflation ‌risks, ⁠increasing chances of interest rates staying higher for longer.

While gold is traditionally seen as a hedge against inflation, higher interest rates tend to weigh on the non-yielding metal.

Markets are pricing in a Fed rate hike before year-end, with a 60% chance of a move by December, according to ⁠CME Group's FedWatch tool.

U.S. President Donald Trump will swear in Kevin Warsh as the Fed chair on Friday at the White House, the Trump administration said.

How businesses and consumers respond to ongoing economic shocks will ⁠determine if the Fed can "look through" current high inflation or needs to consider raising interest rates, Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin said on Thursday.

Spot silver fell 0.2% to $76.53 per ounce, ⁠but was headed for a weekly gain of 0.8%. Platinum lost 0.5% to $1,955.66 and palladium fell 0.2% to $1,375.35, with both metals on course for a weekly loss.

(Reuters)

Only the headline is edited by Shafaq News Agency.

Shafaq News- Diyala

Two people were killed and three injured after an old concrete watchtower collapsed near the Diyala provincial guesthouse in Baquba on Friday, a source told Shafaq News.

The victims were beneath the structure when it gave way.

This report was followed by a developed story.

Shafaq News- Beirut

The Lebanese army will remain a “strong barrier” against efforts to undermine internal stability, Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal stated on Friday ahead of US-sponsored direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials.

In a message marking Lebanon’s Resistance and Liberation Day, Haykal said the military was operating under “complex conditions and major dangers” while conducting security missions, assisting displaced civilians, and protecting the country’s northern and eastern frontiers –all while Israeli attacks, destruction, and the occupation of Lebanese territory continue, particularly in the south.

قائد الجيش العماد رودولف هيكل في أمر اليوم بمناسبة عيد المقاومة والتحرير:أيُّها العسكريونأمام ما يواجهه وطننا من تحديات مصيرية، نستحضر في ذكرى عيد المقاومة والتحرير محطةً وطنيةً شكلت علامةً مضيئةً في تاريخ لبنان، إذ تجسدَ فيها تمسك اللبنانيين بأرضهم وسيادتهم وكرامتهم الوطنية في… pic.twitter.com/rQeMQViigk

— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) May 22, 2026

He denounced what he described as campaigns aimed at weakening the military through accusations, sectarian incitement, and “false rumors,” saying such pressure would not affect its mission.

Civil peace and national unity remain Lebanon’s “strongest weapon” for protecting stability, he stressed.

The remarks came days before Pentagon-hosted meetings scheduled for May 29 between Lebanese and Israeli military representatives under US mediation, following a 45-day ceasefire extension announced after negotiations in Washington on May 14-15. Additional political discussions are expected on June 2-3.

Lebanese media reported that the delegation expected to attend the Pentagon meetings includes officers representing the country’s main sectarian communities –three Christians, one Shia, one Sunni, and one Druze. The agenda is expected to include Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, truce implementation, border arrangements, prisoner exchanges, proposals related to Hezbollah’s weapons, and broader deployment of Lebanese state forces in the south.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has repeatedly opposed direct engagement with Israel. Secretary-General Naim Qassem earlier called on the Lebanese government to pull out of the process, while Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan accused Washington of advancing a “security track” designed to serve Israeli interests.

Cross-border violence has persisted despite the ceasefire announced on April 17. Lebanon’s Health Ministry on Thursday estimated that more than 3,000 people had been killed since the escalation began on March 2.

Read more: Ceasefire without sovereignty: how Lebanon's fragmented power blocks a peace with Israel

Shafaq News- Amman

Five cargo ships carrying food and industrial goods for Iraq docked at Jordan's Aqaba port despite continued disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Mahmoud Khalifat, director general of the Aqaba Ports Corporation, said on Friday.

Jordanian media cited Khalifat as saying the port has received 100,000 tons of vegetable oils designated for Iraq, while two ships carrying around 65,000 tons are awaiting unloading. Transit shipments included rice, corn, sugar, iron and timber destined for Iraqi markets, which have increasingly relied on the Aqaba port for import operations over the past two months.

Before the Hormuz disruption, Iraq depended heavily on Gulf shipping routes for imports and oil exports, which fell to 10 million barrels through the strait in April from pre-war levels of around 93 million barrels per month, according to Iraq’s Oil Ministry.

Baghdad has also accelerated efforts to expand Mediterranean export routes and overland transport links through Syria and Turkiye.

Read more: Hormuz lockdown: Iraq’s economic lifeline under threat

Shafaq News

Oil prices climbed on Friday but were on track for a ‌weekly loss as investors doubted the prospects of a breakthrough in U.S.-Iran peace talks.

Brent crude futures rose $1.66, or 1.6%, to $104.24 a barrel by 0405 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up $1.11, or 1.2%, at $97.46.

On a weekly basis, Brent was 4.6% lower and WTI was down 7.6%, with prices fluctuating sharply as expectations for a peace deal shifted.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters ⁠gaps with the U.S. have narrowed and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of "some good signs" in talks, but the countries are still divided on Tehran's uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait of Hormuz.

"Oil prices would only trend lower when oil market fundamentals materially improve, which looks destined to stretch into 2027," said David Oxley, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics.

Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire took effect, efforts to end the war have shown little progress, while elevated oil prices have fuelled concern over inflation and the outlook for global economy.

"WTI is likely to remain in a $90–$110 range next week, as it has ‌largely ⁠done since late March," said Satoru Yoshida, a commodity analyst with Rakuten Securities.

BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, raised its average 2026 dated Brent price forecast to $90 from $81.50 to reflect the supply deficit, time required to repair damaged Middle East energy infrastructure, and the six-to-eight week post-conflict normalisation window.

Around 20% of global energy ⁠supplies transited the Strait before the war, which has removed 14 million barrels per day of oil - or 14% of global supply - from the market, including exports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Full ⁠oil flows through the Strait will not return before the first or second quarter of 2027, even if the conflict ended now, the head of the UAE's state oil firm ADNOC said.

Seven leading ⁠OPEC+ oil-producing countries will likely agree to a modest hike to July output when they meet on June 7, four sources said, though delivery for several remains disrupted by the Iran war.

(Reuters)

Only the headline is edited by Shafaq News Agency.

Shafaq News- Basra

Families of three Iraqi sailors from Basra appealed on Thursday for urgent government intervention after losing contact with their relatives 16 days ago while working aboard two vessels operating between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Family representative Faiq al-Asadi told Shafaq News that the missing sailors —Diaa al-Asadi, Haider al-Mayahi, and Diaa Abd— had traveled from Basra to Iran to work aboard the vessels “Breej 1” and “Breej 2” near Iran’s Kish Island.

He said the men had boarded the vessels to replace Iranian and Pakistani sailors before communication was suddenly lost on May 5, with the final contact occurring around 11:00 p.m.

The families said they had received no official information regarding the sailors’ fate amid conflicting reports suggesting the vessels may have sunk or suffered another incident at sea.

They called on Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, the Basra governor, the Foreign Ministry, and Iraqi embassies in Gulf states and Iran to intervene and coordinate with relevant authorities to determine what happened.

Iraq’s General Company for Ports confirmed on Thursday that it had mobilized teams after receiving information about the disappearance of the Bolivian-flagged vessels Breej 1 and Breej 2. The company said neither vessel had entered Iraqi territorial waters and that no distress signal had been received from either ship.

Iraqi authorities received electronic messages from security agencies at Gulf ports and from the vessels’ owners requesting any available information after communication with the crews was lost. The company said monitoring operations were continuing through satellite tracking systems in coordination with regional search and rescue authorities.

The incident comes amid growing security risks in Gulf waters following the Iran-US war that erupted on February 28, 2026. In March, two foreign oil tankers were attacked near Basra’s territorial waters, triggering fires aboard both vessels.

Read more: Iran is losing the war, the US is losing the endgame

Iraqi fishermen operating in Gulf waters have also repeatedly reported security incidents involving Iranian and Kuwaiti patrols, with fishing activity in Basra sharply declining in recent years due to rising risks at sea.

Shafaq News- Basra

Iraqi border forces shot down a balloon carrying narcotics near the Kuwaiti border on Friday after coordinating with Kuwaiti authorities, a security source told Shafaq News.

The source said the Iraqi forces targeted and downed the balloon before it completed its crossing, adding that bags containing drugs were scattered on the Kuwaiti side after the balloon was hit.

Authorities did not disclose the type or quantity of narcotics recovered, and it remains unclear who launched the balloon or where it originated.

Border forces also announced in May the seizure of another balloon carrying more than 198,000 narcotic pills near Iraq’s western border with Syria before it entered the country.

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