Friday, 23 October 2026

At the Iranian border, the government closed Sheeb in Maysan on Wednesday to passengers, vehicles and commercial trucks. KDP lawmaker Salwan Taha Akreyi, a parliamentary Border Crossings Committee member, said that according to information available to him, Washington had formally asked Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi during his US visit to close crossings with Iran and bring armed groups under control. He described Sheeb’s closure as the first practical step in a broader plan. The US State Department has not publicly confirmed a blanket demand to close all Iraq–Iran crossings. Asked about the issue, a department spokesperson instead said Washington expected al-Zaidi to honour commitments made to President Donald Trump in July. Those commitments included countering terrorism, preventing attacks in and from Iraqi territory, and strengthening Iraqi sovereignty and bilateral ties.

Separately, a parliamentary committee ordered Nineveh Provincial Council to suspend nominations for Sinjar district administrator and al-Shamal subdistrict director immediately. The intervention follows the KDP’s push to resolve Sinjar’s leadership dispute. The committee said neither post was vacant, making the nominations unlawful. It cited final Administrative Court and Supreme Administrative Court rulings confirming that current officeholders Sido Khairi and Dawood Jundi had been elected through proper procedures. Replacing them, it said, required the questioning and removal procedures established by the Law of Governorates Not Incorporated into a Region. The committee requested the relevant council session minutes and an explanation of the nominations’ legal basis. It also formed a parliamentary fact-finding committee to investigate the case.

The PMF said its 61st Brigade repelled an ISIS attack north of Hawija in Kirkuk governorate on Thursday evening. Its media office said the fighters attacked a thermal camera in the Danadish sector before fleeing. It reported no deaths or injuries. The account reached 964media and Ronahi TV on Friday, extending coverage beyond the militia channels. No Iraqi security authority has confirmed the PMF’s account.

Badr’s parliamentary bloc accused Israel on Thursday of violating Iraqi airspace with explicit US approval and support. It demanded government protection of Iraqi airspace and an official complaint at the United Nations. The bloc also rejected use of Iraqi territory, airspace or territorial waters to attack Iran or neighbouring states. Separately, Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) reported stricter PMF precautions after unidentified warplanes flew over its positions west of Ramadi.

Qais al-Khazali (AAH — secretary-general) met Central Bank Governor Nizar Nasser Hussein in Baghdad on Thursday to discuss monetary stability and banking-sector development. Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official) later promoted the meeting as important because of economic and regional challenges. Al-Ahad and Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) also carried an agency-attributed report of the Central Bank’s prohibition on International Development Bank dollar dealings. That follows US Treasury sanctions against the bank last week. On Al-Ahad, parliamentary Finance Committee member Riyadh al-Tamimi separately alleged that Iraq sells discounted oil to companies to avoid US sanctions. He also said the government was moving toward removing zeros from or changing the currency.

Al-Nujaba TV reported protesting residents warning of escalation and a livelihood catastrophe after the government closed the Shib border crossing. Provincial Council head Mustafa Duair criticized limiting closure measures to Shib and asked why northern crossings were not closed. iNEWS (KSS — affiliated) questioned the closure while citing 11 Iraq–Iran crossings and trade reaching $12 billion. Economist Rashid al-Saadi, speaking on Al-Ghadeer, alleged US dictates behind border closures and losses of billions.

In Sinjar, Yazidi Cause Alliance bloc head Murad Ismail challenged Nineveh Council’s opening of nominations for district administrator as unlawful and unconstitutional. Speaking on Al-Ahad, he also accused the Kurdistan Democratic Party of blocking officials from taking office and preventing displaced residents’ return. He rejected the Sinjar Agreement and asked Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to choose an independent administrator. KDP member Wafa Mohammed Karim defended the agreement’s nine provisions and said displaced residents preferred remaining in camps. They also disagreed over whether Sinjar was secure.

Separately, Al-Kornet al-Kata'ibi (KSS — affiliated) republished KSS secretary-general Abu Alaa al-Walai’s declaration that he and KSS volunteered under Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s banner. Walai explicitly recalled making his personal volunteering declaration seven years earlier. Unit 10,000 (KH — affiliated) meanwhile claimed sirens in Riyadh and four violent explosions at Riyadh International Airport on Friday. The channel called Riyadh the capital of the Saudi enemy and later posted a Quranic verse describing heavenly lamps as missiles against devils.