Wednesday, 16 September 2026

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi discussed selling Iraqi oil to Europe with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin and said Baghdad wanted to diversify its export routes. He said Iraq could double exports through Mediterranean routes and expected an understanding under which Germany would take crude while Iraq bought German technology and equipment. The talks follow export disruption; before the war, Iraq exported an average of 3.4 million barrels per day, mostly through the strait. Shafaq News, citing Reuters, reported that ADNOC became Iraq’s largest crude buyer in August and September as Baghdad sought to restore exports. For August, ADNOC agreed to buy 32 million barrels at discounts between $24.90 and $27 per barrel, but lifted about 20 million because of export constraints and insufficient supply from the Basra Oil Company. It agreed to purchase another 40 million barrels for September, including 30 million at a $25 discount, and bought other September–October cargoes at discounts as high as $27 per barrel. The European talks address Iraq’s dependence on one route, while the UAE sales show the immediate cost of keeping large volumes moving through disrupted exports.

Iraqi security authorities continued investigating the 11 September explosive-drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s East–West Pipeline, which Riyadh attributed to Iraqi factions. Security Media Cell chief Lt. Gen. Saad Maan said an intelligence committee had located the launch site inside Iraq and was continuing technical, forensic, fingerprint and intelligence work. The government had removed Maysan’s operations commander, police chief and other security officials after establishing that the launches came from the province. Maan said Baghdad had contacted Saudi authorities to explain its measures, while Iran formally asked to participate in the investigation and al-Zaidi approved the request. The secretary-general of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce said commercial traffic had resumed through Shalamcheh and Sumar, where around 300 trucks are passing each day, while Mehran, Bashmaq and Khosravi remain operational despite delays. Al-Sheeb remained the only major overland trade crossing still closed, with commercial traffic scheduled to resume Thursday. The state has paired forensic work with a phased restoration of cross-border trade, but the investigation remains open.

Kadhim al-Fartousi (KSS — spokesman) said KSS had told Coordination Framework negotiators that it rejected handing over weapons under what he called the government’s deadline unless the state could exercise sovereignty and protect its territory and airspace. Falih al-Khazali (KSS — Muntasirun bloc head, MP) endorsed ten conditions concerning the resistance and its weapons, calling them constitutional and derived from the government programme. Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada’s Jihad Council separately denied an account attributed to MP Ali Inheir that the faction had begun inventorying weapons for handover and denied that he could speak for it. Reports diverged between a 16-month extension to early 2028 and unfinished talks on integrating fighters into the PMF without immediate surrender; no armed faction has accepted that plan and the government has announced no new deadline. Al-Zaidi said weapons and decisions on war and peace would remain with the state, while the U.S. State Department backed his sovereignty and attack-prevention efforts but announced no financial or economic measure. On the Saudi pipeline attack, Ali al-Fatlawi (Ansar Allah al-Awfiya — leader) first said non-Iraqi hands carried it out from Maysan, then said two minutes later that Ukraine and Israel were implicated while execution might have involved Iraqi hands; Ansar Allah al-Awfiya has not claimed the attack. Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) said pressure was obstructing the draft PMF law, while Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official) said it was nearing parliament and would arrive by the end of September. Neither account set out the bill’s provisions, leaving its parliamentary stage unresolved.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced an end to cash payroll and said one million employees would receive salaries through the MyAccount banking programme. Federal government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi separately reaffirmed Baghdad’s responsibility for Kurdistan Region public-sector salaries. Iraqi Parliament Deputy Speaker Farhad Atrushi said the Region had submitted draft proposals covering the 2027 budget, employment and other financial questions to the Council of Ministers. The proposals would go to parliament as draft legislation if the cabinet approved them. Atrushi said salaries for Region employees should be transferred every 30 days and ensuring payment without delay if 120 billion Iraqi dinars continued to be deducted from the Region’s allocations. The banking rollout changes how salaries are delivered, but the proposed 50 percent customs split and the Region’s overall budget share remain unsettled.

Kadhim al-Fartousi (KSS — spokesman) said KSS rejected handing over weapons under what he called the Iraqi government’s deadline unless the state could exercise sovereignty and protect its territory and airspace. He said KSS conveyed that position to Coordination Framework negotiators during talks over the preceding two days. Falih al-Khazali (KSS — Muntasirun bloc head, MP) endorsed ten conditions on the resistance and its weapons, calling them constitutional and derived from the government programme. He also rejected selective treatment of sovereignty. Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada's Jihad Council separately denied an account attributed to MP Ali Inheir that the faction had begun inventorying weapons for handover and denied that he could speak for it. Press reports meanwhile diverged between a 16-month extension from 30 September to early 2028 and unfinished talks on integrating fighters into the PMF without immediate surrender. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said weapons and decisions on war and peace would remain with the state and Iraqi forces could protect its airspace and territory. The U.S. State Department backed al-Zaidi’s sovereignty and attack-prevention efforts, but no armed faction has accepted the early-2028 plan and the government has announced no new deadline.

Ali al-Fatlawi (Ansar Allah al-Awfiya — leader) gave conflicting accounts of Iraqi involvement in the drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, which Riyadh attributed to Iraqi factions. FAA (Ansar Allah al-Awfiya — official) first quoted him saying Saudi Arabia knew the attack from Maysan was carried out by non-Iraqi hands. Two minutes later, it quoted him saying Ukraine and Israel were implicated while the execution may have been carried out by Iraqi hands. He subsequently said the United States benefited from the attack, while Ansar Allah al-Awfiya has not claimed it. Mahmoud al-Hayani (Badr Organization — member) had denied resistance-faction involvement and suggested Israel or another outside actor, while al-Fatlawi had accused Ukraine. Three faction commanders instead attributed the attack to a small armed network under a senior IRGC commander. Security Media Cell chief Saad Maan said an intelligence committee had located a launch platform inside Iraq and was continuing forensic, fingerprint and technical work. Sabereen News (KH — affiliated) meanwhile posted “Aramco is not the Kaaba” after Saudi Arabia reported injuries from the pipeline strikes, but did not present the slogan as an operation claim.

Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) said on 15 September that pressures were obstructing enactment of the draft PMF law despite parliamentary activity. Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official) instead said the law was nearing parliament and presented resolution of the file as expected. It separately reported that the Security and Defense Committee was seeking passage and that the measure would reach parliament by the end of September. Muhammad al-Hasnawi (Hoquq — MP) said his movement was continuing work to enact the law despite attempts to draw it into political bargaining. The accounts set out no provisions, and the different readings leave the law’s parliamentary stage unresolved.

Sabereen News and Jehad Brothers Team (Nujaba — affiliated) carried identical reports that an explosive device struck an Iraqi Army Humvee in Wadi al-Ghara, Kirkuk, on 15 September. Both identified the vehicle as belonging to the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Regiment, 8th Division and gave an injured major as the initial casualty figure. Military sources told Shafaq that the blast during an operation northwest of Kirkuk wounded four Iraqi Army personnel, including a major. That account placed the blast in the Gharra mountain range in al-Dibis district, leaving the channels’ one-person toll as an explicitly initial figure.