Tuesday, 25 August 2026

On August 25, Baghdad maintained that weapons and war-making authority belong solely to the state as reports described disputes over the deadline and mechanism for disarming armed factions. The ruling coalition also discussed arrests of armed-faction personnel, adding command scrutiny to the weapons-monopoly push. The Militia Digest separately details criticism of PMF chief Faleh al-Fayyad over alleged advance warning of August 24 strikes on PMF sites that speakers attributed to Saudi Arabia; Fayyad has not answered. No enforcement measure or named faction response appeared in the August 25 reports.

On the security file, Iraq and Germany discussed the international coalition’s withdrawal on August 25. Separately, the U.S. State Department reported staffing adjustments at its Iraq mission, while another report said U.S. diplomats were preparing to return to Iraq and the region.

On the economy, satellite imagery showed a surge in Iraq’s Persian Gulf oil loadings, and Iraq pursued additional loading arrangements inside Hormuz. The desk observed prompt Brent at $87.22 a barrel, down 5.2% from the previous observation.

Reuters presented Iraq as a potential test case for U.S. pressure on Iran’s trade partners. Iraq’s top judge separately visited Tehran as Iran faced the new U.S. economic pressure.

Baghdad reportedly plans to allocate $15 billion for delayed projects.

Still on the economy, a new report said Iraq national-team coach Graham Arnold’s extension runs through the 2027 Asian Cup. That account conflicts with earlier reports describing a six-month renewal or a short-term extension after he rejected four years.

Hussein al-Shaykhani (Sadiqoun — political bureau) challenged Faleh al-Fayyad over alleged advance warning of strikes on PMF sites that speakers attributed to Saudi Arabia during scrutiny on August 24. He said Fayyad must deny receiving the warning, show he relayed it, or accept responsibility for delay or negligence; Fayyad has not answered. Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official) expanded the criticism from force protection to Fayyad’s parliamentary absence and continued tenure. The channel’s guests proposed questioning, military discipline or dismissal, while iNEWS (KSS — affiliated media) urged passage of the PMF law without naming Fayyad.

On weapons control, Hamed al-Mousawi (Badr — parliamentary bloc) said implementation would begin at the end of September after a Coordination Framework committee contacted Harakat al-Nujaba and “the brigades”. He paired state regulation with retaining advanced faction weapons, while Al-Janoub TV (Harakat al-Jihad wal-Bina — official) emphasized foreign-force withdrawal; no contacted faction accepted the timetable.

Unit 10,000 (KH — affiliated) rejected a weapons handover and invited an unspecified opponent to clash at Jurf al-Nasr, but named no operation or intended opponent and established no deployment.

On regional threats, Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) and Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) carried matching statements attributed to Brigadier Majid Ibn al-Ridha, described as an acting defense minister. He said expanded pressure would bring an expanded response in defense of the Iranian people, but named no target, method or timetable; neither channel added its own faction position.

On elections, the Election Commission spokesperson said voting with the unified national ID requires Parliament to amend the election law, despite the prime minister’s direction to prepare for its future use. The current law still requires biometric voter cards, and Parliament has not enacted the amendment.

Five faction-linked channels relayed a notice attributing a life sentence for promoting Israel and glorifying its army to the Federal Supreme Court. Sabereen News (KH — affiliated) alone added its own causal preface, while the other KH-, Badr Organization- and Ashab al-Kahf-linked channels reproduced the notice without it; the ruling received no independent confirmation.