Wednesday, 28 October 2026

In parliament, AAH’s Sadiqoun bloc asked Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi Tuesday why the PMF bill had not arrived nearly four weeks after cabinet approval on 29 September. It asked parliament’s presidency to contact the prime minister and secure submission without delay. Watan TV (Badr Organization — affiliated), Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) and Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) reported a request signed by more than 100 MPs seeking reasons for the delay. Sadiqoun deputy leader Ahmad al-Musawi (AAH) blamed American pressure for the government’s withdrawal of the bill. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported Wednesday that continuing US objections were obstructing passage despite cabinet approval. Al-Musawi also said on iNEWS (KSS — affiliated) Tuesday that faction ballistic missiles would go to the PMF. Al-Zaidi set a 30 June 2027 deadline for bringing weapons under state control.

On dollar supplies, Central Bank adviser and spokesman Mahmoud Dagher said Tuesday that two aircraft carrying about $500 million each had arrived in Iraq. He said further shipments would follow in the coming days, with arrivals depending on security conditions. Baghdad’s parallel-market selling rate fell Wednesday to 168,250 dinars per $100, down 250 dinars from Tuesday. That remained about 11% above the official rate of 152,000 dinars per $100. Al-Zaidi had said Friday that Washington would send $1 billion in cash and that the parallel rate would soon fall to 155,000 dinars per $100.

Separately, al-Zaidi arrived in Damascus Wednesday and was received by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, ahead of planned bilateral and delegation talks. Before the visit, al-Sharaa proposed linking Iraq’s Grand Faw Port to Syria’s Tartus Port and improving land routes to regional markets. He also called for rebuilding oil pipelines to Baniyas and expanding refinery and energy cooperation. Al-Sharaa said more than 100,000 transit trucks and 40,000 import and export trucks had crossed between the countries over the past six to seven months. On security, he said Tuesday that Syria’s border with Iraq was secure.

AAH’s Sadiqoun bloc asked Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi on Tuesday why the PMF bill had not reached parliament nearly four weeks after cabinet approval on 29 September. Through Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official), it asked parliament’s presidency to contact the prime minister to send the bill without delay. It also demanded committee referral and placement on parliament’s agenda immediately upon receipt. Watan TV (Badr Organization — affiliated), Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) and Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) reported a request signed by more than 100 MPs seeking reasons for the delay. On iNEWS (KSS — affiliated), Sadiqoun deputy leader Ahmad al-Musawi (AAH) blamed American pressure for the government’s withdrawal of the bill. Reconstruction and Development Coalition member Ammar Yasser denied any current domestic or foreign veto on Al-Ahad TV. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Wednesday that continuing US objections were obstructing passage despite cabinet approval.

Al-Musawi also said on iNEWS on Tuesday that faction ballistic missiles would go to the PMF. He said the PMF Authority faced no legal obstacle to possessing drones. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has set 30 June 2027 as the deadline for bringing weapons under state control. In Sinjar, commander-in-chief spokesman Sabah al-Numan said Wednesday that members of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) had entered the armed forces and their mountain positions had passed to federal military units. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Interior Ministry criticised Baghdad for proceeding without consulting Erbil. Al-Numan said integration was exclusively the responsibility of the federal government and its security leadership.

In Baghdad, Security Media Cell head Saad Maan said the drone intercepted near the Green Zone carried no explosives and caused no losses. The New Arab quoted security sources linking the incident near the US embassy to factions opposed to disarmament. On Al-Ahad TV, Reconstruction and Development Coalition MP Haider al-Fawadi said factions could not breach the ceasefire. He suggested a third party could have been responsible. Maan’s account described interception of an aircraft, not an explosive attack.

In Maysan, Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official) reported Wednesday that Maysan tribal sheikhs had given the government three days over Shib’s closure. Baghdad closed the crossing with Iran on 20 October. Al-Nujaba TV had reported Tuesday that tribal sheikhs and notables condemned the closure and affirmed support for Nujaba. By Wednesday, Al-Ghadeer TV and Al-Nujaba TV used identical wording saying the closure had cut off 4,000 families’ livelihoods. Sabereen News (KH — affiliated) put the number at about 4,000 families and also reported higher prices. The repeated figure is a shared claim by the channels, not an independently established count of affected families.