Monday, 10 August 2026

Iraqi armed factions have until Sept. 30 to hand their weapons to the Popular Mobilization Forces under a transfer mechanism now set out, and the government is increasing pressure on the factions as the deadline nears. A deputy speaker says the parliamentary speakership backs the contested PMF law, and parliament has opened a probe into whether Iraqi officials had prior knowledge of the US-Saudi strikes on Iraq — the strikes Washington and Riyadh carried out, and for which the PMF blames a Shabak brigade's 'negligence' while rejecting accusations against its chairman Falih al-Fayyadh. Nujaba secretary-general Akram al-Kaabi rejected US pressure over Iraqi oil, and a militia leader attacked Saudi Arabia and called for military strikes on it.

Still on the security file, security forces created a new command to guard Iraq's southwest borders and are shifting Tuz Khurmatu and Daquq under Kirkuk command, a redrawing of the disputed-areas map alongside the disarmament push. Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) carried two of its own people in opposite directions on the handover within twelve minutes on Monday morning — a Nujaba member framing al-Kaabi's message as keeping faith with the martyrs, and MP Miqdad al-Khafaji demanding guarantees in exchange for handing over the resistance's weapons because Iraqi airspace is exposed; the militia digest beside this one has the channel-level detail.

On the domestic front, the Baghdad Appeals Court issued two arrest warrants for former labor minister Ahmed al-Asadi, summoned former finance minister Taif Sami and requested the removal of MP Nazim al-Asadi's immunity, while authorities arrested a senior Trade Ministry official, former Salah al-Din governor Ahmed al-Jubouri and an automobile company chief. Prime Minister al-Zaidi's office says there is no mercy for corrupt officials, puts recoveries at 390 billion dinars, $141 million and 500kg of gold, and says the nine vacant ministries will be filled next week.

In the north, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani put the Region's trade down 70% as a result of the US-Iran war, the war whose closure of Hormuz has cut Iraq's exports, and Region President Nechirvan Barzani described Erbil-Baghdad ties as in a 'very good' phase. With shipping disruption pushing Iraqi trade toward the Syrian market, Iraqi News Agency reports the finance minister telling the central bank governor that current conditions require continued coordination.

On the economy, Korek Telecom has asked the prime minister to intervene in its dispute with Iraq's communications regulator, arguing the regulator lacks the authority to suspend its operations, and protests over power shortages in Kut turned into clashes. An Iraqi delegation has left for Iran for energy and Hormuz talks, and Iraq's role is described as the ultimate test of OPEC+ cohesion after the UAE's exit.

Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) carried two of its own people in opposite directions on the weapons file within twelve minutes on Monday morning. Under the headline "missiles for missiles," Nujaba member Mahdi al-Kaabi said Akram al-Kaabi's message aims to keep faith with the martyrs and preserve Iraq's sovereignty; twelve minutes earlier the same channel carried MP Miqdad al-Khafaji demanding guarantees in exchange for handing over the resistance's weapons, resting his case on exposed Iraqi airspace and no ability to bring down an aircraft. The channel did not reproduce Akram al-Kaabi's underlying message. On the same morning programme the channel carried media figure Muhammad al-Hamad saying the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has not felt the existence of a real leadership for Iraq, and al-Kaabi again saying America and Britain will take control of Iraqi oil.

In the militia space, the Interior Ministry's line that any drone launched without authorization will be treated as terrorism was posted by four faction networks inside twenty-three minutes on Monday morning. Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official), Al-Kornet al-Kata'ibi (KSS — affiliated) and Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official) carried the ministry's words alone; Sabereen News (KH — affiliated) appended a question asking whether the rule covers American and Israeli surveillance drones violating Iraqi airspace, and Unit 10,000 (KH — affiliated) said there is no doubt the ministry is addressing American and Israeli espionage aircraft. The split runs between the two KH-aligned channels and the other three.

Still in the militia space, Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official) posted four consecutive lines attributed to Iranian spokesman Baqai, including that closing the Strait of Hormuz is natural and that passage will not be allowed while the war continues, and that neighbouring states' territory should not be a launchpad against Iran. Sabereen News carried the two Hormuz lines minutes later. No Iraqi actor claimed or announced action of its own alongside the relay. By the desk's counting, 12 of 34 watched channels across five networks have surged on the Strait of Hormuz since 3 August, on a baseline still forming.

On parliament, Al-Ahad TV broadcast MP Ahmad al-Khazali late on Sunday ahead of a hosting session for Iraq's foreign minister, captioning him as promising severe questions over a weak response to what it called the US-Saudi aggression, and quoting him saying Iraq is strong and possesses missiles and drones. In four segments across twenty-six minutes the same night, the channel carried Ramadan al-Badran relaying Washington's view that the drive to confine weapons is welcomed by America, and Hussein Shaloushi accusing an unnamed political actor of carrying American normalization dictates, under the banner "weapons ban… fifty days before the news hour". The channel did not name the accused actor. Al-Ittijah TV, for its part, carried a speaker saying the Huquq bloc's move to investigate the Saudi aggression is a pressure card on the government.

On the domestic front, Watan TV (Badr Organization — affiliated) ran four bulletins from its Wasit correspondent in half an hour after midnight on the province's electricity protests, opening with an appeal to al-Zaidi to intervene against riot-police repression and ending with a report of 50 protesters injured and a demand that the provincial police commander be dismissed. The last post was the first to carry an injury figure and the first to name an official for removal; the demand is attributed to protesters throughout and no Badr figure is quoted. Al Jazeera reported clashes in Kut during protests over power shortages, without the injury figure.

Also on the domestic front, KH's channels carried two protest actions over entitlements. Al-Ittijah TV published statements from wounded army personnel saying they are sitting in outside the Finance Ministry with no response to their demands and appealing for restoration of the full-time carer salary, and separately an Electricity and Energy Committee member's demand for an urgent independent inquiry into the Wasit thermal plant's $144 million maintenance contract and all procurement since 2016. Sabereen News reported families of PMF martyrs and wounded personnel continuing a second day of a sit-in outside Baghdad's Pension Authority under tight security. Each of the three rests on the KH channel that carried it and on no other tracked network in the window.