Thursday, 3 September 2026

Iraq restored August crude exports to about 2.34 million barrels per day, a 73% rebound from roughly 1.35 million in July, as steep discounts and alternative shipping helped restore flows disrupted around the Strait of Hormuz. That built on Iraq’s August 27 offer to supply buyers outside the strait. The State Oil Marketing Organization offered August-loading Basra crude at discounts of $25 to $30 per barrel, drawing Chinese and Indian refiners. Smaller tankers moved cargoes beyond Hormuz for resale, while ship-to-ship transfers off Oman allowed buyers to avoid sending vessels through the strait. Brent settled at $96 per barrel on September 1, up 7.0%. Oil sales generate roughly 90% of federal revenue, although August exports remained below February levels of around 3.7 million barrels per day.

Akram al-Kaabi (Nujaba — secretary-general) threatened that any U.S. soldier remaining after September 30 would not return safely, after Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi rejected a proposal to retain coalition troops beyond that date on September 1. Al-Kaabi said Nujaba was ready for a “decisive battle” unless forces withdrew completely. The government said the coalition withdrawal and transfer of sites remained on schedule. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's security adviser Qasim al-Araji said the PMF could receive faction weapons. Separately, hathalyoum.net attributed wording to Nouri al-Maliki that factions would remain and September 30 did not mean surrendering weapons, but supplied no direct remarks. The weapons debate remained split among retention, transfer to the PMF and exclusive state possession, with no formal KH, AAH or KSS leadership statement behind those positions. Gunmen attacked a PMF Brigade 16 checkpoint in Altun Kupri around 02:00 on September 3, killing Ali Bahjat Hamid and wounding Junaid Ismat Bahjat. The attacker was not identified, and no militia claimed responsibility.

A KRG finance delegation opened talks in Baghdad on the 2027 federal budget, after the parliamentary speaker and finance minister discussed preparations on August 27. The delegation arrived Wednesday evening for negotiations with the federal Finance Ministry and is seeking a 14% share based on the latest population census. The talks also cover appointments, contract employees and other financial provisions. The Finance Ministry has instructed state bodies to submit lists of daily contract workers for review and possible conversion to monthly contracts. Government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said the cabinet would approve the draft by the end of September before sending it to parliament. The negotiations put the Kurdistan Region’s allocation and eligible contract workers into the drafting process before that cabinet decision.

The Interior Ministry said it dismissed 38 officers and 180 other personnel in corruption-related cases during the government’s first 100 days. The 38 officers were permanently discharged after their involvement was established, while final court rulings ended the service of the other 180. Separately, an Anbar integrity judge suspended the auction of 136 dunams of state land. The riverfront property carried an official valuation of 3.129 billion dinars, compared with an estimated market value of 37.422 billion dinars. The Federal Integrity Commission put the difference at a 34.292 billion-dinar gap. Investigators also identified irregularities in the auction procedures, and the judge ordered external auditing and statements from the relevant state property bodies.

Authorities reported 31 trafficking arrests and 57 kilograms of narcotics seized across Iraq. In Anbar, narcotics officers found 160,000 Captagon pills concealed in a tanker arriving from a neighboring country. Two suspects were arrested during the seizure, and follow-up investigations brought the total to eight. Separately, Kirkuk narcotics officers, in coordination with the Sulaimani anti-narcotics directorate, arrested a suspected dealer and seized three kilograms of drugs in Sulaimani. The haul comprised one kilogram of magic mushrooms and two kilograms of marijuana. The case was reported as the first 'magic mushroom' drug bust in Sulaimani.

Iraq created an interagency security committee to monitor hate speech and content that could inflame ethnic or sectarian tensions. The Security Media and Public Relations Authority chairs the body, which includes representatives from the Interior Ministry, intelligence and national security agencies. The committee can act under existing legal frameworks. Separately, a lawyer filed a complaint asking prosecutors in Wasit to summon Hadi al-Ameri (Badr Organization — secretary-general). The complaint concerns remarks in which Ameri called the 2019 Tishreen protests “strife” and praised the “resistance” for confronting them. The filing requested prosecutorial action; no summons or adjudication was reported.

Akram al-Kaabi (Nujaba — secretary-general) threatened on September 2 that any U.S. soldier remaining in Iraq after September 30 would not return safely. His official leader channel originated the statement, while Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) and Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official) repeated it. He said Nujaba was ready for a “decisive battle” unless foreign forces withdrew completely from Iraqi land and airspace. The September 30 threat reached press reports the same day, including his warning that remaining soldiers would return as corpses. The date had previously framed debate over coalition withdrawal and faction weapons, but al-Kaabi attached a violent consequence to it without announcing mobilization or an operation.

Gunmen not identified in the PMF statement attacked a PMF Brigade 16 checkpoint in Altun Kupri around 02:00 on September 3. The PMF said Ali Bahjat Hamid was killed and Junaid Ismat Bahjat wounded. Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official) named the dead fighter, while Sabereen News (KH — affiliated) relayed the full casualty account. Ten of 33 watched channels across five networks surged on Altun Kupri. Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) and Al-Ittijah reported an army-PMF search. None named the attacker, and no militia claimed responsibility. Separately, four channels reported a PMF operation southwest of Kirkuk.

Channels had already covered September 1 attacks on U.S. sites in Kuwait that press reports attributed to Iran. Early September 3, Shabab al-Islam (Ashab al-Kahf — owned/non-official) reported sirens and nearby explosions. Al-Ahad and Sabereen reported missile-and-drone attacks, while Al-Ghadeer reported a direct hit and rising smoke. None of the channels named a perpetrator or claimed responsibility. Sabereen separately published a line calling Kuwait a “statelet” and reserving a right to respond, though not as an official KH statement, without identifying a grievance or proposed action. Kuwait was the focus of 11 of 33 watched channels across five networks. Al-Ittijah also reported Hoquq questions over Kuwait and Al-Durra, while Sabereen quoted Saud al-Saadi (KH — Hoquq MP) claiming victory in a challenge to the Khawr Abdallah agreement without naming a court, judgment or legal effect.

The weapons debate had already split between state control and resistance to surrender. Sabereen and Unit 10,000 (KH — affiliated) relayed wording attributed to Nouri al-Maliki saying the PMF and factions would remain and would not surrender weapons on September 30. On Al-Ahad, Salam Adel, identified on screen as a writer and journalist, said faction weapons should pass to the PMF, while Zulfiqar Hussein (National Trend — secretary-general) demanded no weapons outside the state. iNEWS promoted al-Kanani’s allegation that weapons monopolization had been requested by the United States and Israel. These were three different public positions: retention, transfer to the PMF and exclusive state possession; none was a formal KH, AAH or KSS leadership statement.

Pressure on PMF chairman Faleh al-Fayyad had already moved from television guests to a Sadiqoun proposal to summon him. On September 2, Al-Ahad guest Mustafa al-Khafaji alleged that al-Zaydi had warned Fayyad of an Saudi strike on the PMF but Fayyad did not order an evacuation. He said the strike caused deaths and injuries and said Fayyad bore moral and legal responsibility for not appearing before parliament; no other source corroborated the warning, strike or casualties. Al-Ahad separately aired a dispute over an allegation that Washington offered then Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani a second term in exchange for confronting factions, but the channel supplied no evidence.

Four channels circulated a Central Bank guardianship order for Al-Taif Islamic Bank, citing serious violations and an 18-month term. The displayed copy appeared dated September 4, 2022, so the posts did not establish a new or current order. Unit 10,000 and Al-Ghadeer relayed a judiciary report of manipulation in the sale of 136 dunams of state land in Anbar. Press reporting said an integrity judge halted the auction while investigators examined the valuation and procedures.