Tuesday, 13 October 2026

On relations with Washington, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met US Special Envoy for Iraq Tom Barrack on Monday night to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional security. National Security Adviser Qasim al-Aboudi said Tuesday that Washington had decided to bomb Iraq and impose a blockade, but Baghdad prevented that through economic partnerships. He valued energy contracts with the US at $1 trillion. Oil Minister Basim Mohammed had valued the Oil Ministry’s agreements with US companies at about $200 billion in July. Al-Aboudi also described Iraqi forces’ preparedness following the US-led coalition’s withdrawal as very high. Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed instead said the withdrawal was more politically than security-driven and Iraqi forces still needed international assistance against ISIS. Former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, head of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, proposed replacing the coalition relationship with bilateral security partnerships.

On weapons legislation, Parliamentary Security and Defence Committee member Khalid Sido said Monday on Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official) that consideration of a weapons-control bill raised by al-Zaidi had been paused for now. He also said the cabinet had not formally submitted the PMF bill. Al-Ahad reported that AAH’s Sadiqoun bloc was insisting on passage in upcoming sessions. At Monday’s MERI Forum in Erbil, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani called for state control of weapons and air defences for Baghdad and Erbil. On Tuesday, Alsumaria reported water hoses being used to disperse wounded PMF personnel protesting at a Green Zone gate.

In Riyadh, Iraq and Saudi Arabia held energy-cooperation discussions involving Iraq’s electricity and oil ministers. Electricity Minister Ali Saadi Waheeb and Saudi energy company ACWA discussed doubling the planned Najaf solar plant from 1,000 to 2,000 megawatts. Waheeb said the talks centred on accelerating preparation and completion of ACWA’s commercial proposal. The parties have not announced a final decision on increased capacity or amended investment conditions. Waheeb and ACWA chairman Mohammed Abunayyan also discussed managing and maintaining existing Iraqi power plants. The minister expressed interest in a pilot project at an operating Iraqi generating facility. The discussions precede al-Zaidi’s expected visits to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait beginning Wednesday, 14 October, according to a government source.

Parliamentary Security and Defence Committee member Khalid Sido said on Monday that consideration of a weapons-control bill raised by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had been paused for now, speaking on Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official). At Monday’s MERI Forum in Erbil, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani called for state control of weapons and air defences for Baghdad and Erbil. He also rejected Iraq becoming a platform for threats against Kuwait, Jordan, the UAE or Saudi Arabia. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan head Bafel Jalal Talabani said resolving faction weapons depended on cooperation with Iran. Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) separately alleged that US-supported Israeli aircraft were violating Iraqi airspace.

Sido also said the cabinet had not formally submitted the PMF bill. He said structure and service-and-retirement provisions had been combined into one law. He said the combined law should include compulsory retirement at 60. Al-Ahad reported that AAH’s Sadiqoun bloc was insisting on passage in upcoming sessions. Al-Nujaba presented the stalled legislation as personnel’s rights awaiting a law. On that channel, Sido said all MPs would work to pass it to guarantee personnel’s rights and entitlements. On Tuesday, Alsumaria reported water hoses being used to disperse wounded PMF personnel protesting at a Green Zone gate.

National Tribal Current political-body head Abd al-Rahman al-Jazairi claimed on Al-Ahad that political forces agreed with al-Zaidi on raising the dollar exchange rate, following the cabinet’s increase in the public selling rate to 1,520 dinars last week. Parliamentary Finance Committee member Yusuf al-Kilabi, on Al-Kornet al-Kata’ibi (KSS — affiliated), defended the dinar’s valuation and said the Framework had not objected. He also alleged that the dollar platform favoured four banks. Aras Habib, a guest on Watan TV (Badr Organization — affiliated), alleged that two parties made 400 billion dinars after the decision leaked. iNEWS (KSS — affiliated) reported traders demanding a crisis cell after the rate increase and market deterioration. On Tuesday, Central Bank statistics and research director-general Samir Fakhri Nima defended devaluation as the best option to protect reserves from an oil-revenue shock.

Separately, Al-Ahad reported on Monday that Defence remained unresolved and a parliamentary session could take place on Thursday. Academic and political researcher Mairaj al-Hadidi identified an internal Azm dispute over Planning. Politician Muhannad al-Rawi told iNEWS that Azm had nominated three candidates for Planning and Culture. National Line Current secretary-general Aziz al-Rubai told Watan that Framework parties had decided to rename the proposed artificial-intelligence ministry Digital Technology for Muhammad al-Darraji. On Al-Ahad, al-Jazairi backed an artificial-intelligence ministry while guest Iyad al-Anbar opposed creating it.

Kataib Hezbollah’s rejection of Iraqi condemnations of the Houthis’ Saturday strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh received press coverage from 964media on Monday. Al-Montasaf Net then alleged on Tuesday that cooperation between Houthis and Iraqi factions, including the PMF, had produced joint activity against Saudi Arabia. Former Jordanian Information Minister Samih al-Maaytah called circulating claims of possible Houthi missile launches from Jurf al-Sakhar toward Riyadh logically plausible because of the shorter distance than from Yemen. A launch from Jurf al-Sakhar remains unconfirmed.