Shafaq News- Baghdad

Several figures are competing for Iraq’s finance ministerpost in the anticipated government formation, political sources told ShafaqNews on Monday, adding that current Finance Minister Taif Sami could remain inoffice as negotiations continue among the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF)over cabinet portfolios.

The Prime Minister-designate, Ali Al-Zaidi, asked CF partiesto grant him direct authority over the finance and interior ministries,allowing him to personally select what he described as qualified candidates tolead the two portfolios, the sources revealed. The request came after Al-Hikma(Wisdom) Movement secured the finance ministry under ongoing politicalagreements.

According to the sources, Mohammed Sahib Al-Darraji iscurrently viewed as the leading candidate for the finance ministry, whileRafidain Bank Director General Ali Karim Hussein has also been proposed for theposition.

The nomination of Hussein comes amid previous controversysurrounding allegations linked to Rafidain Bank, Iraq’s largest state-ownedbank. Finance Minister Taif Sami had earlier ordered the suspension of thebank’s director and more than 20 officials and employees over suspicionsrelated to alleged manipulation in US dollar sales at Baghdad InternationalAirport, as well as other administrative and financial violations. Later, shereversed the suspension order and reinstated the employees under investigation,according to an official document. Information circulating at the time suggestedthat political pressure contributed to settling the case and closing theinvestigation without recommendations for penalties against those accused.

One source told Shafaq News that additional allegationslinked to Rafidain Bank have circulated, including suspicions of moneylaundering, waste, and mismanagement.

In August 2025, US Congressman Joe Wilson accused RafidainBank, under Hussein’s management, of conducting financial transactions withYemen’s Houthi movement and warned that the issue could lead to the suspensionof US financial support for Iraq.

The bank’s branch in Abu Dhabi was also found to havecommitted financial and administrative violations, according to the sources,while indicators of mismanagement prompted the Central Bank of the United ArabEmirates to impose what were described as large financial penalties on thebranch.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Prime Minister-designate Ali Falih Al-Zaidi is expected to present around 14 ministerial nominees during Monday’s parliamentary session, as political blocs move toward holding a confidence vote on the new Iraqi government.

Independent Iraqi politician Abu Mithaq Al-Masari told Shafaq News that the number represents more than half of the cabinet lineup and could secure parliamentary approval for Al-Zaidi to assume office if the ministers are formally passed without delay.

According to preliminary information obtained by Shafaq News, the proposed cabinet includes Reber Ahmed for foreign affairs, Omar Al-Waeli for interior, Yassin Al-Ethawi for planning, Mohammed Nouri for industry, Badr Al-Fahal for culture, Khaled Shawani for justice, Sarwa Abdul Wahid for environment, Nozad Hadi for reconstruction, and Muqdad Al-Jumaili for education.

Deputy prime minister positions are expected to go to Fuad Hussein, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, and Muthanna Al-Samarrai.

A source within the Sunni National Political Council told Shafaq News that the defense ministry has been informally settled in favor of Al-Hasm Alliance led by Thabet Mohammed Al-Abbasi following intra-Sunni agreements.

The source added that several ministries remain under negotiation among Shiite factions, particularly the oil ministry, which is being contested by the State of Law Coalition led by Nouri Al-Maliki, the Reconstruction and Development Coalition associated with caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and the Al-Hikma (Wisdom) Movement led by Ammar Al-Hakim.

Negotiations also continue over sensitive security positions and appointments to independent bodies, with some business-linked figures who failed to cross the electoral threshold reportedly being considered for senior posts, including Baghdad governor and positions within the National Investment Commission.

A parliamentary source previously told our agency that political factions had reached an agreement to pass Al-Zaidi’s government this week before lawmakers depart for Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj (pilgrimage) rituals.

Al-Zaidi submitted his government program to Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi on May 7 ahead of the confidence session, while President Nizar Amedi officially tasked him with forming a government on April 27 following his nomination by the Coordination Framework to succeed Al-Sudani.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iranian reservations over Iraqi PrimeMinister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi, reportedly tied to what Tehran views as strongUS support for his appointment and possible efforts to curb Iran’s influence inBaghdad, prompted the visit of Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani to Iraq, asource told Shafaq News on Sunday.

Qaani arrived in Baghdad in recent hours and heldtalks with leaders of the Shiite Coordination Framework and commanders ofseveral armed factions on the formation of the next government, though thesource said no agreement has yet emerged and Tehran’s position on Al-Zaidiremains unclear.

The visit coincided with intensified political andparliamentary efforts to hold a confidence vote on Al-Zaidi’s cabinet withinthe next two days. A parliamentary source told our agency on Saturday thatpolitical blocs had reached an understanding to pass the government this weekbefore several lawmakers travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage.

Last Thursday, Al-Zaidi submitted the government’sministerial program to Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi ahead of itsdistribution to lawmakers for review, while the cabinet lineup is expected tobe presented separately at a later stage.

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

Shafaq News- Riyadh/ Baghdad

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Iraqi PrimeMinister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi on Saturday following his appointment to formIraq’s next government, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Several countries, including Syria, the UAE, Qatar, Turkiye,Iran, Pakistan, Spain, Jordan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and theUnited States, along with the United Nations mission, have also congratulatedAl-Zaidi on his nomination to form the new Iraqi government.

Read more: Countries welcome Iraq’s designation of Al-Zaidi to form new government

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The al-Azm Alliance submitted on Saturday the names of its ministerial nominees to Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi,days after its leader, Muthanna al-Samarrai, boycotted the National PoliticalCouncil session, at which Sunni blocs drafted their unified demands andconditions for the incoming government.

On its nominee selection, al-Azm saidcandidates were chosen based on” competence and capacity” to manage governmentinstitutions and shoulder the responsibilities of the coming phase.

A political source told Shafaq Newsearlier this week that the Ministry of Higher Education is expected to go toTaqaddum —the 33-seat bloc that secured the parliament speakership— while theMinistry of Defense is expected to be allocated to the al-Azm Alliance, whichholds 15 seats.

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

Shafaq News-Baghdad

PrimeMinister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi’s private-sector background could help reduceits dependence on oil and revive productive sectors as the country facesmounting economic pressure, Al-Hikma (Wisdom) Movement leader AmmarAl-Hakim stated on Saturday.

Speaking during ameeting with professional and union elites in Baghdad, Al-Hakim describedIraq’s next phase as “economic above all,” calling for broader export routes,economic diversification, and renewed investment in agriculture, industry,tourism, technology, and other non-oil sectors.

The incominggovernment must move beyond “routine and bureaucratic approaches,” he said,arguing that the state should act as a regulator and guarantor of citizens’interests while giving the private sector a larger role in driving growth andabsorbing unemployment. He also called for tighter regulation of foreign laborand preserving union independence alongside efforts to stimulate private-sectoremployment.

Iraq remainsheavily dependent on oil, which accounts for more than 90% of state revenues,while the public sector employs most formal workers. Al-Zaidi faces mountingpressure to reform the country’s rentier economic model as a rapidly expandinglabor force outpaces the state’s ability to absorb workers into the publicsector, though many of the reforms now being promoted, including bankingreform, digital transformation, and private-sector expansion, were previouslyoutlined in Iraq’s 2020 “White Paper” economic reform program.

Read more: The rentier trap: Iraq’s existential reform race

Unlike many Iraqi political figures whose experience comesmainly from government or parliament, Al-Zaidi led private-sector institutions,including Al-Watania Holding Group and Al-Janoob Islamic Bank.

Read more: Who is Ali Al-Zaidi? The businessman tapped for Iraq's premiership

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A political agreement is in place to pass the cabinet ofPrime Minister-designate Ali Falah al-Zaidi this week, before some lawmakersdepart for Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, a parliamentary sourcerevealed on Saturday.

The Speaker's office has not yet received any officialnotification from the government regarding the submission of the ministeriallineup, and, according to the source, once such notification arrives, a sessiondate will be set, and parliament members will be informed at least 24 hoursbefore the confidence vote convenes.

Al-Zaidi submitted the new government's ministerial programto Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi last Thursday, as a preliminary step before itscirculation to parliament members for review. The names of the ministeriallineup are to be submitted separately at a later stage.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), Iraq’s largest parliamentarybloc, has reached an understanding with Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidito form a committee tasked with consolidating weapons under state control, apolitical source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

The committee will be headed by al-Zaidi alongside caretaker PrimeMinister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri.Its mandate includes registering all weapons in a centralized state database,defining categories of armed groups, and examining options to integrate membersinto civilian institutions or official security forces.

On Friday, Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of Iraq’s Patriotic Shiite Movement(PSM), urged the integration of all armed factions into state-controlledinstitutions. He also pledged to place Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigades), hismovement’s main armed wing, under the authority of Iraq’s commander-in-chief ifother factions move in the same direction “as quickly as possible.” PatrioticShiite Movement

Washington has previously reiterated its opposition to the inclusion ofIran-aligned armed factions within Iraq’s future government structure, arguingthat the boundary between state authority and such groups remains unclear.

Akram al-Kaabi, leader of the Iran-backed Harakat al-Nujaba, however,rejected the disarmament calls, describing the factions’ weapons as a red linethat would ‘’never be surrendered.’’

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

Shafaq News- Washington/ Baghdad

US President Donald Trump’s administration is closely assessing Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi, with Washington weighing the future of US-Iraq relations amid concerns over Iranian influence, armed factions, and regional stability, US Republican Party member Malek Francis told Shafaq News on Friday.

Francis said Washington does not currently view Al-Zaidi as an adversary, but acceptance of any new Iraqi government will depend on its ability to protect US interests, contain the influence of armed groups, preserve energy market stability, and limit Iranian expansion within Iraqi state institutions.

The United States, he explained, evaluates Iraqi leaders through the lens of interests, stability, and regional balances rather than political affiliations alone, adding that Al-Zaidi understands his government’s success depends on maintaining stable ties with Washington amid Iraq’s need for economic support, investment, and security cooperation.

At the same time, the Iraqi prime minister-designate faces pressure from political forces with close ties to Tehran, making balance the defining challenge of his premiership. Francis suggested that Al-Zaidi would likely pursue a strategy based on de-escalation and diplomatic openness while attempting to avoid direct confrontation with either Washington or influential regional powers, though the “real test” would emerge in sensitive files including the future of the US military presence in Iraq, control over armed factions, ties with Iran, and Baghdad’s position on escalating regional tensions.

Those issues, Francis warned, will determine whether relations between Baghdad and the Trump administration move toward cooperation or “mutual political pressure.”

Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework formally nominated Al-Zaidi for prime minister on April 27. Two days later, the US mission in Iraq welcomed the nomination and reaffirmed support for Iraq’s sovereignty, security, and economic stability, while Trump spoke with him by phone and invited him to visit Washington after forming a government, according to statements from both sides. The US president also expressed hope that the Iraqi prime minister-designate would form “a new government free from terrorism,” describing the moment as the beginning of a “prosperous new chapter” in US-Iraq relations.

Despite the supportive messages, Francis stressed that Washington has not given Al-Zaidi a “blank check” and is closely monitoring whether he can form a balanced government capable of preserving Iraq’s stability and preventing the country from sliding back into wider regional conflict.

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

Shafaq News-Najaf

USconditions on Iraq’s next government regarding Iran-aligned armed factions area “blatant interference” in the country’s internal affairs, senior leader inthe Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Sadr Al-Din Al-Qubbanji said on Friday, urgingIraqi political leaders to preserve the independence of nationaldecision-making.

Al-Qubbanji,who is also Najaf’s imam, noted during a religious sermon that Washington haddemanded the exclusion of ministers linked to the “resistance” factions fromthe incoming cabinet. He called on the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) andPrime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi, recently nominated by the largestalliance in Parliament to form the next government, to take what he describedas a “firm and manly stance.”

The UnitedStates has repeatedly called for dismantling Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factionsit classifies as terrorist organizations, warning that expanded “militiainfluence” in government would raise serious concerns in Washington.

In April,the US State Department warned that supporters of such groups “would faceconsequences,” linking the issue to the future of US-Iraq relations. Washingtonalso announced $10 million rewards for information on senior commanders from KataibHezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, both of which maintain political wingswithin the CF.

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

Al-Qubbanji further criticized plans by between 120 and 160 lawmakersin Iraq’s 329-seat Parliament to travel for the Hajj pilgrimage, the annualIslamic pilgrimage to Mecca, which begins in late May and typically requires anabsence of more than a week, arguing that the move could delay cabinetformation and parliamentary work at a critical stage.

“This is astrange phenomenon rejected by Iraqi public opinion,” he remarked, referring toParliament’s responsibility to review the government program and settle pendinglegislative files.

On Thursday,Al-Zaidi submitted his 14-point ministerial program to Parliament Speaker HaibetAl-Halbousi ahead of a session expected early next week to vote on the newcabinet. However, a lawmaker told Shafaq News that the departure of a largenumber of MPs for Hajj could complicate holding a full cabinet vote before thepilgrimage season.

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

Shafaq News- Najaf

Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Patriotic Shiite Movement(PSM), called on Friday for all armed factions in Iraq to be integrated intostate-controlled institutions, stressing that his movement would not take partin the next government.

In a statement, Al-Sadr said he was prepared to place Sarayaal-Salam (Peace Brigades), the PSM’s main armed wing, under the authority ofIraq’s commander-in-chief if all other factions do the same “as quickly aspossible.”

He further signaled readiness to dissolve Liwa’a al-Yawmal-Maw'oud (the Promised Day) Brigade, an elite force established in 2008 afterthe disbandment of the Mahdi Army, which fought US-led coalition forces inIraq. Al-Sadr had already ordered the brigade dissolved in November 2021 andinstructed its members to hand over their weapons to the state. Saraya al-Salamitself was suspended for six months in December 2025 after al-Sadr saidrepeated violations by members had damaged the group’s reputation.

Although he did not identify any faction by name, theremarks were widely seen as directed at Iran-backed groups operating under theIslamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella, including Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahlal-Haq, Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhadaa, and Harakat al-Nujaba. Many of thesefactions are formally part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), apredominantly Shiite umbrella force incorporated into the Iraqi state in 2016,but they continue to maintain separate command structures and weapons networksoutside direct government control.

Al-Sadr addressed Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidiwithout naming him, saying all armed factions must join either “Jund al-Sha'airal-Diniyya” (the Soldiers of Religious Rites), which operates under the Hajjand Umrah Commission linked to the Prime Minister’s Office, or a humanitarianrelief body. Groups that refuse, he warned, would be considered “outside thelaw.”

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

Cabinet Formation

On government formation, Al-Sadr said parties with armedwings “must be excluded entirely from the incoming cabinet,” rejecting Iraq’squota-based political system and calling for a government that answers to thepublic rather than political blocs.

“We do not accept the presence of any member of our movementin the ministerial cabinet, and no minister would represent the PSM.”

He adopted a long-running policy of distancing his movementfrom formal political participation. His bloc’s 73 lawmakers resigned fromparliament in June 2022, a move he described at the time as a rejection ofIraq’s “corrupt political order.” Al-Sadr later boycotted the November 2025parliamentary elections, warning that Iraq was “living its final breaths.”

The parliament elected in those polls is now overseeingnegotiations to form a new government under Iraq’s muhasasa system, thepost-2003 power-sharing arrangement that divides senior positions among thecountry’s main political, ethnic, and sectarian groups.

Prime Minister-designate Al-Zaidi has submitted hisgovernment program to Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi ahead of a plannedconfidence vote next week, alongside a 14-point ministerial platform outliningthe incoming cabinet’s priorities.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi’s ministerial program came under criticism on Friday from Iraqi watchdog groups over the absence of environmental policies and heavy reliance on the country’s 2020 economic reform “White Paper.”

Al-Zaidi submitted the 14-point government program to Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi on May 7 ahead of a planned parliamentary confidence vote next week. However, Eco Iraq Observatory said more than 70% of the economic framework outlined in the program was based on ideas and proposals contained in the White Paper introduced under former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in 2020.

Several sections appeared directly inspired by the earlier reform document, the Observatory said, citing similarities in areas including digital transformation, electronic signatures, private sector support, banking reform, and smart networks. It also argued that the program failed to provide clear mechanisms for reducing Iraq’s rentier economy or addressing public-sector overemployment, which continues to place mounting pressure on the state budget.

The group further criticized the absence of detailed measures to tackle budget deficits or shield Iraq’s economy from oil price volatility and declining exports.

Launched during Al-Kadhimi’s administration in October 2020, the White Paper proposed more than 200 reforms aimed at restructuring Iraq’s oil-dependent economy, strengthening the private sector, and reforming public finances following the fiscal crisis triggered by collapsing oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the proposals, however, stalled amid political opposition and institutional challenges.

Separate criticism came from Iraq’s Green Observatory, which accused Al-Zaidi’s program of omitting a dedicated environmental policy despite worsening drought, water shortages, and desertification.

Although the program focused on issues including national security, foreign policy, economic reform, energy, agriculture, and tourism, it did not include a standalone environmental or climate section. “The person who prepared the program appears unaware that Iraq is among the countries most harmed by climate change over recent years,” the Observatory said, warning that rising temperatures, drought, and desertification had deepened the country’s environmental crisis.

The group pointed to drinking water shortages in southern provinces, rising salinity in Basra, the drying of the southern marshes, and the loss of agricultural land, noting that the program referenced water issues only once through a pledge to strengthen political and economic ties with upstream countries.

According to the United Nations, flows from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which supply up to 98% of Iraq’s surface water, have declined by 30-40% over the past four decades, increasing pressure on agriculture, drinking water supplies, and livelihoods across the country. Declining river levels and repeated drought cycles have also severely affected the UNESCO-listed Mesopotamian marshes in southern Iraq, forcing many residents to abandon livelihoods tied to fishing and buffalo breeding.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Sunni political forces are expectedto retain six ministries in Iraq’s next government under ongoing power-sharingunderstandings, Azzam al-Hamdani of the Al-Azm Alliance told Shafaq News onFriday, a day after Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi submitted the newgovernment’s ministerial program to Parliament.

Al-Hamdani said negotiations withinthe Sunni political camp —which holds a combined 77 seats in Iraq’s 329-memberParliament— are proceeding according to an “electoral weight equation,” underwhich ministries are distributed based on parliamentary representation.

Based on the current understandings,Muthanna al-Samarrai’s Al-Azm Alliance holds 17 political “points,” entitlingit to two ministries in addition to the deputy prime minister position, whileMohammed al-Halbousi’s Taqaddum (Progress) Alliance retained the speakership ofParliament. Sarmad al-Khanjar’s Al-Siyada (Sovereignty) Alliance and theAl-Hasm Alliance, headed by caretaker Defense Minister Thabit al-Abbasi, holdnine and eight points respectively, with Al-Hamdani describing Al-Azm as thestrongest Sunni bloc in terms of parliamentary representation.

He also denied reports of changes orrotations involving Sunni-held ministries, stressing that existingunderstandings remain intact pending a final agreement.

On Thursday, al-Zaidi formallysubmitted the government’s 14-point ministerial program to Parliament Speaker Haibetal-Halbousi ahead of a parliamentary session expected to vote on the cabinetearly next week.

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

Negotiations over ministries arecontinuing under a “points” system tied to parliamentary representation, inwhich blocs require at least 10 seats to secure service ministries and morethan 15 seats for sovereign portfolios. Cabinet posts in Iraq are traditionallydistributed through political agreements under the muhasasa system, a post-2003power-sharing arrangement among the country’s major political and ethnicgroups.

According to circulating politicalunderstandings, the next government is expected to consist of 22 ministries,including 12 allocated to the Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest blocin Parliament, and four to Kurdish parties.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Political blocs have yet to formallysubmit ministerial nominees to Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi,independent politician Abu Mithaq al-Masari told Shafaq News on Friday, a dayafter al-Zaidi submitted the new government’s ministerial program toParliament.

Al-Masari, a figure close to the ShiiteCoordination Framework (CF), Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc, describedthe current phase as “one of the most ambiguous government formation periodssince 2006.”

According to al-Masari, the cabinetunder discussion may largely resemble the previous government, with around 23ministers and no major structural changes, while al-Zaidi continues to favorbroad consultations over direct negotiations on ministerial names or portfolioallocations among political and sectarian components.

“Political blocs have not been askedto submit candidates or provide preliminary views on potential appointments,” heexplained.

That approach, he noted, wasreflected in al-Zaidi’s recent meetings in the Kurdistan Region —where hestressed the need to accelerate the formation of a “competent nationalgovernment” capable of representing all components of Iraqi society— followedby the return of Kurdish officials to Baghdad without direct nominations beingadvanced.

Read more: The mediator in the room: President Barzani comes to Baghdad with more than Erbil's demands

On Thursday, al-Zaidi formallysubmitted the government’s 14-point ministerial program to Parliament Speaker Haibetal-Halbousi ahead of a parliamentary session expected to vote on the cabinetearly next week. The program outlines priorities ranging from state sovereigntyand national security to economic and financial reform, foreign policy, andissues related to human rights, women, and children.

Negotiations over ministries arecontinuing under a “points” system tied to parliamentary representation, inwhich blocs require at least 10 seats to secure service ministries and morethan 15 seats for sovereign portfolios. Cabinet posts in Iraq are traditionallydistributed through political agreements under the muhasasa system, a post-2003power-sharing arrangement among the country’s major political and ethnicgroups.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Oil Ministry on Thursday denied allegations against Deputy Oil Minister for Distribution Affairs, Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, following USaccusations linking him to efforts benefiting Iran and allied groups throughIraq’s oil sector.

Earlier in the day, the US Treasury Department’s Office ofForeign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Al-Bahadly along with severalleaders of Iran-aligned armed factions as part of Washington’s “maximumpressure” campaign targeting Iranian oil revenues.

Calling for accusations to be handled with “transparency andresponsibility,” the ministry underlined the need to rely on evidence andverified facts while respecting Iraqi legal and oversight institutions.

It further announced readiness to cooperate with any “fairinvestigation,” citing the Iraqi judiciary and the Federal Integrity Commissionas the competent authorities in such matters.

“Crude oil exports, marketing operations, tanker loading,and related procedures are managed by specialized entities and companies underapproved mechanisms, not by the deputy minister for distribution affairs,” itadded.

Iraq’s State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) hadpreviously denied allegations linked to the country’s oil export operations.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister-designateAli Al-Zaidi on Thursday unveiled a 14-point ministerial program detailing theincoming government’s priorities ahead of a planned parliamentary confidencevote.

According to a copy obtainedby Shafaq News, the program focuses on state sovereignty and national security,foreign policy, economic and financial reform, energy, industry, agricultureand water resources, governance and anti-corruption measures, education,healthcare, social protection and poverty reduction, telecommunications andinformation technology, human rights, women and children’s affairs, youth andsports, as well as culture, tourism, and antiquities.

Al-Zaidi had formallysubmitted the program to Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi for circulationamong lawmakers before next week’s vote.

Negotiations over ministerialportfolios continue under a points-based system tied to parliamentaryrepresentation, with blocs generally requiring at least 10 seats to secureservice ministries and more than 15 seats for sovereign portfolios. Cabinet positionsin Iraq are traditionally allocated through political agreements under themuhasasa system, a post-2003 power-sharing arrangement among the country’s mainpolitical and ethnic groups.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Yazidi Cause Alliance on Thursday rejected plans torelocate the offices of the acting mayor of Sinjar and the director ofAl-Shamal subdistrict to Sinjar district in Nineveh province, warning that themove could deepen the area’s administrative crisis.

In a statement, Murad Ismail, head of the alliance, said thedecisions “must not be made partially or without consulting Yazidirepresentatives,” adding that any administrative settlement “should be reachedthrough political understandings in which Yazidi representatives are a mainparty.”

Relocating the acting mayor and subdistrict director toSinjar after an absence of 11 years, without a political agreement or a final settlement on appointing permanent officials, would “exacerbate the crisis,”Ismail noted. He suggested postponing the move for another six months to allowtime to reach a “fair and sustainable solution.”

According to Ismail, Yazidi demands focus on appointing “twoindependent Yazidi figures accepted by residents through political consensus,not imposition.” The discussions aimed at reaching an administrative settlementhad been ongoing for months and were “close” to producing an initial agreement,he added.

The dispute comes amid continuing disagreements over theadministration of Sinjar, a district in northwestern Iraq disputed between thefederal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government since theISIS attack of August 2014, which displaced large numbers of residents anddevastated infrastructure.

Although Iraqi forces retook Sinjar in 2015, the district’sadministrative situation has remained unresolved. Tensions increased afterBaghdad and Erbil signed the Sinjar Agreement in October 2020, which has notbeen fully implemented.

In July 2024, the Nineveh Provincial Council announcedadministrative changes affecting several positions, including those in Sinjar,but implementation stalled because of political disputes. Subsequent judicialand administrative decisions have yet to produce a final resolution.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi on Thursday submitted the new government’s ministerial program to Parliament Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi for review by members of the Council of Representatives.

A government statement said both sides stressed the importance ofcooperation and coordination to complete the constitutional process of grantingconfidence to the government and its ministerial program.

The lawmakerswill review the ministerial program ahead of a parliamentary vote on al-Zaidi’sgovernment expected early next week.

Negotiations over ministries are continuing under a “points” system tied to parliamentary representation, in which blocs require at least 10 seats to secure service ministries and more than 15 seats for sovereign portfolios. Cabinet posts in Iraq are traditionally distributed through political agreements under the muhasasa system, a post-2003 power-sharing arrangement among the country’s major political and ethnic groups.

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

Shafaq News- Washington/ Baghdad

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on IraqiDeputy Minister of Oil Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly and several leaders ofIran-aligned armed factions, accusing them of exploiting Iraq’s oil sector tobenefit Iran and its allied groups in Iraq.

In a statement, the US Treasury Department’s Office ofForeign Assets Control (OFAC) said the measures targeted individuals andbusinesses undermined the country’s security, adding that Al-Bahadly “abuseshis position to facilitate the diversion of oil to be sold for the benefit ofthe Iranian regime and its proxy militias in Iraq.”

The sanctions also targeted senior members of theIran-aligned armed groups Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq,which Washington has designated as terrorist organizations.

According to OFAC, Al-Bahadly facilitated oil exportoperations linked to networks associated with previously sanctioned oilsmuggler Salim Ahmed Said.

The Treasury Department alleged that shipments from Iraq’sQayyarah oil field were transported to Khor al-Zubair, where Iranian oil wasblended with Iraqi crude before export, while documentation was altered toconceal the origin of the shipments.

The sanctions included Mustafa Hashem Lazem Al-Bahadli, alsoknown as “Sayyid Aoun,” whom OFAC accused of managing oil smuggling andfinancing networks linked to Asaib Ahl Al-Haq. Ahmed Khudair Al-Maksousi, the former deputysecretary-general of Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, and Mohammed Issa KazemAl-Shuwaili, known as “Abu Maryam,” were also designated over alleged coordinationwith Lebanon’s Hezbollah involving the procurement and transfer of weapons intoIraq.

Four Iraq-based companies operating in the oil and logisticssectors were also sanctioned, including Gulf Oil Services Limited and IraqInternational Energy for Import and Sale of Petroleum Products Limited.

The Department explained that the sanctions are part of Washington’s“maximum pressure” campaign targeting Iranian oil revenues, sanctions evasionnetworks, and financial channels linked to Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that “Treasurywill not stand idly by as Iran’s military exploits Iraqi oil to fund terrorismagainst the United States and our partners.”

Under the measures, all assets belonging to the sanctionedindividuals and entities within US jurisdiction will be frozen, while USpersons are prohibited from conducting transactions with them. The sanctionsalso allow for secondary restrictions on foreign institutions engaging withdesignated parties.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Feyli Kurds will resort to the mediaand public opinion if they are not fairly represented in Iraq’s nextgovernment, an Iraqi lawmaker warned on Thursday, as negotiations continue overcabinet positions.

Speaking with Shafaq News, HaiderAbu Tara, an MP representing the Feyli Kurds —a Shiite Kurdish communityconcentrated in Baghdad and eastern Iraq— said that successive governmentssince 2003 had failed to fairly represent minority groups in the distributionof ministries, despite repeated promises of political partnership.

Abu Tara revealed that he recently metPrime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, who assured him that the new cabinetwould include all political and social components “without marginalization.”

The Feyli Kurdish community isseeking a ministerial portfolio in areas such as Migration and Displacement,Culture, or Education, in addition to executive posts linked to the files ofmartyrs and prisoners, he added, calling for a government built on“partnership, balance, and genuine consensus.”

Read more: Genocide survivors: Feyli Kurds seek true political representation

Iraq’s Council of Representativesannounced that al-Zaidi is expected to submit his cabinet lineup and governingprogram before the end of this week, ahead of a confidence session scheduledfor next week.

Negotiations over ministries arecontinuing under a “points” system tied to parliamentary representation, inwhich blocs require at least 10 seats to secure service ministries and morethan 15 seats for sovereign portfolios. Cabinet posts in Iraq are traditionallydistributed through political agreements under the muhasasa system, a post-2003power-sharing arrangement among the country’s major political and ethnicgroups.

Nine quota seats are currentlyreserved for minority communities in Iraq’s 329-member parliament. Feyli Kurds,whose population is estimated at between 1.5 and 2 million people, hold onlyone parliamentary quota seat allocated to a candidate from Wasit province underIraqi law. Community representatives describe the arrangement as “institutionaldiscrimination,” noting that other minorities, including Christians andYazidis, hold five or more parliamentary seats.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Sunni National Political Council* (NPC) confirmed on Wednesday thatit will attend the parliamentary vote on Prime Minister-designate Alial-Zaidi’s cabinet, noting that understandings tied to the government formationprocess have been completed.

In a statement, the Council’s media office indicated that theparticipants put forward a joint proposal outlining priorities andexpectations, including demands from their respective provinces to be reflectedin the political agreement and the government agenda. They also called foraligning positions and coordinating efforts to address the country’schallenges, while moving forward under a framework of political consensus andshared responsibility.

According to Shafaq News sources, the incoming Iraqi government is setto comprise 22 ministerial portfolios: 12 allocated to the Shiite CoordinationFramework factions, six to Sunni blocs, and four to Kurdish parties.

*The National Political Council is a Sunni umbrella bloc formed afterthe 2025 parliamentary elections to unify positions, coordinate politicaldemands, and represent Sunni forces in negotiations with other major blocs. Itholds a total of 77 seats in parliament.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Ishraqat Kanoon bloc on Wednesday criticized efforts to create “appeasement posts” within the new Iraqi government, considering the current cabinet formation process “driven by quotas and political gains.”

Speaking at a joint press conference, movement head MP Haider al-Mutairi revealed that the current arrangements include proposals to create new deputy positions for the presidency and premiership, as well as ministries without portfolios, which represent a “continuation of quota-based practices.”

Ishraqat Kanoon emerged after Iraq’s 2021 elections, drawing on the momentum of the 2019 Tishreen protest movement. It brings together Shia independents who position themselves against quota-based power-sharing, advocating governance based on competence, anti-corruption measures, and institutional reform.

The movement currently holds 8 seats in the parliament.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Christian Suyana parliamentary bloc on Wednesday rejected “any bypassing of voter will” in distributing ministerial posts, ahead of forming the next Iraqi cabinet led by Ali Al-Zaidi.

MP Kildo Ramzi, speaking at a press conference, stated that while the bloc supports the formation of a government capable of addressing upcoming challenges, any serious effort must be based on “real national partnership and fair representation, without marginalization or deviation from electoral entitlements.”

Ramzi indicated that Christian representation in the next cabinet should reflect actual parliamentary weight produced by the ballot box, not political compromises or arrangements that override election outcomes.

The Suyana bloc holds three of the five parliamentary seats reserved for Iraq’s Christian community. The remaining two seats belong to the Bayloon Movement, led by Rayan al-Kildani. The movement serves as the political wing of the Babylon Brigades —the 50th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)— and is closely aligned with the Coordination Framework, Iraq’s main Shiite political coalition.

Christians of Iraq: Where did they go?

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Lawmakers from Iraq’s Basra province on Wednesday threatened to withhold support for Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi’s cabinet unless the province is granted its “due share” in the next government.

MP Alaa al-Haidari, speaking at a press conference in parliament, stated that Basra representatives had sent a message to al-Zaidi and political bloc leaders calling for greater representation in the ministerial lineup.

The lawmakers demanded that key portfolios —oil, transport, and water resources— be assigned to figures from Basra, describing them as critical ministries closely tied to the province’s interests, particularly because “Basra contributes around 93% of Iraq’s state revenues.”

Iraq’s parliament is expected to vote on al-Zaidi’s cabinet next week, with the names of ministers and the government program due to be submitted by the end of this week.

The Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest parliamentary bloc with about 162 of 329 seats, granted al-Zaidi broader authority to form his cabinet following his nomination on April 27, although negotiations continue under a points-based system that allocates ministries according to parliamentary representation.

The incoming government is set to comprise 22 ministerial portfolios: 12 allocated to Coordination Framework factions, six to Sunni blocs, and four to Kurdish parties, according to Shafaq News sources. Service ministries are typically assigned to blocs holding at least 10 seats, while sovereign portfolios are generally reserved for factions with more than 15.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi will present 14 cabinet nomineesto the Iraqi Council of Representatives next week for a confidence vote, withthe remainder of his cabinet to follow after the Hajj season concludes,according to a Badr bloc MP.

Shaker Mahmoud al-Tamimi, speaking to Shafaq News on Wednesday,attributed the phased submission to a practical constraint: a significantnumber of lawmakers are expected to travel for the Hajj pilgrimage, making afull cabinet vote before the season ends impractical.

The 14 ministers to be presented first will be drawn from across thepolitical spectrum. "They will not be exclusively from the CoordinationFramework," al-Tamimi said, "but also from Sunni and Kurdishblocs."

On Monday, Mohammed al-Shammari, a member of the Parliamentary Khadamatbloc, itself a Coordination Framework constituent, told Shafaq News thatal-Zaidi had informed Framework leaders of his intention to submit the fullcabinet on May 9, with parliament set to convene for a confidence vote duringthe coming week.

Framework leaders are scheduled to meet with al-Zaidi today. The sessionis expected to resolve the allocation of sovereign and service ministries andagree on a distribution mechanism —two points that have remained unresolved innegotiations.

The incoming government is set to comprise 22 ministerial portfolios: 12allocated to Coordination Framework factions, six to Sunni blocs, and four toKurdish parties, according to Shafaq News sources.

Read more: Iraq registers first challenge to al-Zaidi's prime ministerial mandate