WOTS WED SEP 15 21 Erbil government reveals a deal with Baghdad regarding gasoline
Setting a new date for considering budget appeals
The Federal Court announced, on Tuesday, setting a new date for considering budget appeals.
An informed source told / Mawazine News /, "The Federal Court decided to set the 19th of this month, a new date to consider the appeals submitted regarding the budget."
The Federal Supreme Court had decided (last August 24) to postpone the decision on the appeals of the general budget for the year 2021 to this September.
The international coalition hands over military vehicles to Iraq
The US-led international coalition in Iraq announced on Monday the delivery of 20 Humvee vehicles to Iraqi forces.
"The international coalition, through the CTEF program, funded by the United States of America, delivered 20 Humvees," coalition spokesman Wayne Maroto said in a statement received by Mawazine News.
He added, "This came for the Internal Security Forces to take the lead in the combat role against ISIS."
Deputy: The 2022 budget will not be passed in the current session, except in this case
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Member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Jamal Kougar, confirmed today, Tuesday, that passing the federal budget for the next year during the current parliamentary session will only be achieved in one case
And he said puma In an interview with Alsumaria News, "The government talked about preparing the federal budget for the next year, but it did not work to send it to the Council of Ministers in order to discuss and vote on it, so we do not know where the stages of preparing the budget reached," noting that "the ministries of finance and planning in the event of completing the budget, they They are working to send it to the Council of Ministers to discuss and vote on it. As for resolving it in the parliament during this parliamentary session, it is very difficult.
Added puma“Approval of the budget inside the parliament requires discussions and a first and second reading of it, and voting on it is not less than one month in the best circumstances. Therefore, with the current circumstances and the approaching elections, which have only less than a month left, it is not possible to vote on the budget except in the case of Postponing the elections to another date, which is unlikely to go ahead, stressing that “unless the elections are postponed, it is impossible for this parliamentary session to complete the budget discussions and it will be moved to the next parliamentary session and wait for the formation of the next government to discuss it and send it to Parliament for completion.
The American ambassador reveals the details of the next stage in Iraq
The US ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, revealed the details of the next stage in Iraq.
He said Tauler in a television interview, said that ” the campaign against al Daesh will enter a new phase by the end of this year” in Iraq and Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga will top the campaign against al Daesh with the end of this year , and our role is to enable Iraqi forces to ensure that the return of the organization Daesh. ”
He added, n” forces Iraqi security and the Peshmerga were partners in defeating ISIS, but there must be stronger coordination” between the two parties, praising the “wonderful things” that have been accomplished since 2014 thanks to “US-Iraqi cooperation.”
Tueller stressed that “our involvement in Iraq helps develop the Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga forces,” noting that the United States provides “intelligence information and advice to the Iraqis.”
The ambassador condemned the attacks in Erbil and the Kurdish region, stressing that they are “a threat to the people of Iraq and the stability of the country.”
Britain invites Iraq to London arms fair
The British Department of International Trade invited Iraq to attend the largest arms exhibition called (DSEI), an acronym for Defense Equipment and International Security, which is held every two years in London.
A report by the British Guardian newspaper stated that delegates will mingle with more than 800 exhibitors, including 90 percent of the world's 10 largest arms manufacturers, during a four-day international event taking place despite the global Corona virus pandemic.
Mission Impossible" .. Al-Maliki as prime minister for a third term
Any independent observer can envy the leaders of the "State of Law" coalition for their excessive confidence in expressing that Nuri al-Maliki is the most qualified and worthy to return to the presidency of the Iraqi government, and secondly, their ability to express the certainty that the coalition is able to achieve a comfortable victory in the October 10 elections. next.
The results of the 2018 elections do not seem to encourage such over-optimism, as the "State of Law" came fourth with 26 seats, and was comfortably preceded by the Sadrist-led Sairoon Alliance (54 seats), the Al-Fateh Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri (47 seats), and the Al-Fateh Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri (47 seats). Al-Nasr led by Haider Al-Abadi (42 seats).
Many also believe that the difficult conditions that led to the exclusion of al-Maliki from heading a third government in 2014, are still chasing his legacy in political work, and may prevent his use to occupy the position of the highest executive authority in Iraq. There are two main issues that his opponents consider against him, namely the fall of a third of Iraq's lands under the control of the ISIS occupation overnight, and secondly, the spread of corruption, which placed Iraq in third place in the world.
However, some leaders of the "State of Law" consider that al-Maliki has made more achievements for Iraq than others after him, and is therefore more deserving of returning to the position, a security that apparently faces several conditions, including the position of the supreme Shiite authority, and his gaining the support of parliamentary blocs Great, and knowing the destination of Iranian support, especially after the recent visit of the current Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to Tehran and his meeting with the new Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi.
However, al-Maliki’s supporters began early in the propaganda campaigns in support of him, according to promotional ideas, including that he is strong and able to contain tensions with armed factions, and between some political forces, and provide basic services to citizens, which witnessed a deterioration in the years in which he left power.
But it is clear that al-Maliki and his supporters are also betting on their ability to attract new votes if they will be allowed to lead a government after the October elections, by wooing the voices of the large reluctance to cast their votes, which was large in the 2018 elections, where the voter turnout was about 44%. Only as was officially announced, and they are also betting on withdrawing votes from the shares of other blocs such as "Al-Fateh", which mainly represents the Popular Mobilization factions, a bet that may contradict what the forces close to Iran aspire to.
But observers believe that the events in Iraq since the 2019 demonstrations, and the accusations leveled at the factions of confronting them with violence, in addition to the tensions within the Fatah forces, may help al-Maliki to attract additional votes from the electorate.
Al-Maliki had obtained the highest votes in the 2014 elections, but the objections of the supreme Shiite authority, Ali al-Sistani, and some political forces, forced al-Maliki to apologize as part of a political settlement that brought him to the position of Vice President.
According to MP Muhammad al-Sihoud, who is close to al-Maliki, "the latter provided a lot for the country during his presidency of the government for two consecutive terms and in various health, economic, educational and reconstruction fields. Therefore, as members of the former State of Law list (the leader's trust now), we believe that he is more deserving of prime minister if his list succeeds in winning votes that qualify him.
Elections and party size
Chihod told Shafaq News Agency, "The results of the 2018 elections are not a criterion for measuring the size of that bloc or the weight of that party in the Iraqi street, given that the majority of disgruntled voters showed great reluctance to participate, which negatively affected the overall election results, and we hope according to the stage's data. And after our masses became convinced of the need to expand the volume of their participation in the electoral process, to obtain more seats."
He considered that "the upcoming elections will reveal to the parties and blocs their true size or weight in the Iraqi street if the electoral presence is available, given that the Iraqis who went out in mass demonstrations in 2019, calling for early elections, this is their only chance to make the desired change and the results of each electoral list or alliance translate its weight. to his audience."
The "Leader's Trust" list is made up of 72 candidates to represent it in the upcoming elections, distributed across all governorates of the country, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region.
According to Chihod, the majority of the candidates are qualified and technocrats, and come from 9 political entities, including the Dawa Party, the Irada Movement, Al-Bashaer, and the Iraqi Turkmen Gathering, as well as some former deputies.
Weighing egg
Chihod indicated that "the results of the elections will play a role in drawing the map of future alliances to determine the identity of the leader of the next stage, and Nuri al-Maliki remains the only candidate for the "leader's trust" if he enters into other alliances," stressing that "we do not have a red line on any bloc or current to ally with him from order to form a government if we achieve advanced results.”
He considered that "the rule of law will be the weight of the next alliances."
Al-Sihoud called on Al-Kazemi's government to provide a security environment that ensures the smooth running of the elections without affecting the voter's freedom or depriving his will, recalling that this government "was formed in order to organize early elections, and therefore its work should focus on that."
The State of Law Coalition, a political alliance headed by Nuri al-Maliki, split from the Iraqi National Coalition, which had brought together all the Shiite forces due to differences with other currents, including the Sadr movement.
Back to "Impossible"
But personalities who defected from the "State of Law" told Shafaq News Agency, "It has become difficult for al-Maliki to return to power again, and all data suggest the latter's decline in popularity with the Iraqi street, as well as his intersection with political parties that have weight."
Informed sources said that "there is still an objection from the supreme religious authority to the person of al-Maliki, as the country entered a spiral of internal and external conflicts, the most severe of which was ISIS' control over a third of Iraqi lands. .
And she added, "If we exclude the scenario of a veto of reference on al-Maliki, there are other parties that refuse his return, most notably the Sadrist movement, which reluctantly agreed to extend his mandate during the 2014 elections."
It is noteworthy that al-Maliki had launched a military campaign under the name of "The Knights of the Knights" against the "Mahdi Army" of the Sadrist movement in the year 2008, and it is the only one led by the Iraqi security services against Shiite militants. Since that time, Maliki entered into a rivalry with the Sadrists.
Who is standing in the way of retrieving Iraq's money from abroad..justice answers
The Ministry of Justice confirmed, on Wednesday, that there are two main factors that stand in the way of recovering Iraq's money from abroad, while noting that the looted funds recovery conference will find new mechanisms to return these funds.
The Director-General of the Legal Department in the Ministry, Hanan Munther Nassif, told the official news agency, "The holding of the international conference to recover looted funds from Iraq came with wide international participation, and in implementation of the decisions of the Council of Arab Justice Ministers and in coordination with the Arab Center for Legal and Judicial Research of the Council of Arab Justice Ministers and Iraq."
She added, "The conference will work to activate the mechanisms for recovering looted funds, and to find new mechanisms to recover those funds."
She pointed out that "in practical application, we face major problems in dealing with these countries, given that these funds have become part of their economies, in addition to the difficulty of taking legal measures due to the different legal systems between countries."
And she continued, "Therefore, we are working through this international forum to work face to face, in order to discuss obstacles and find mechanisms, through international cooperation, and present the experiences of Arab and foreign countries, as well as the League of Arab States in the field of money recovery and combating corruption."
And, this morning, Wednesday, the work of the International Conference for the Recovery of Looted Funds from Iraq was launched in Baghdad, with wide international participation and under the auspices of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi.
Pakistan confirms its intention to increase the volume of trade exchange with Iraq
On Tuesday, the Pakistani ambassador to Baghdad, Amjad Ali, affirmed his country's intention to increase the volume of trade exchange with Iraq.
The media office of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce stated, in a statement seen by "Al-Iqtisad News", that "Abdul Razzaq Al-Zuhairi, President of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce received at the Federation's headquarters, Ahmed Amjad Ali, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Baghdad."
The statement added, "Al-Zuhairi discussed with the visiting guest ways to strengthen and develop bilateral relations between the two countries in issues of common interest."
Al-Zuhairi stressed, "The importance of strengthening aspects of trade relations by diversifying the frameworks of consultation, which contributes to achieving the aspirations of Baghdad and Islamabad, and raising the pace of bilateral trade cooperation at various investment, economic and development levels, for the benefit of both countries."
He added, "In the next few days, a delegation of Iraqi businessmen affiliated with the Federation will visit Islamabad to accelerate and strengthen bilateral relations, and during this visit, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Trade and Industry of Pakistan regarding trade exchange and cooperation between the two parties and the establishment of a council for joint business.
In turn, the Pakistani ambassador affirmed that "Iraq and Pakistan have strong relations and for a long time have important relations in various religious and cultural fields and in the bilateral common interests between the two parties."
The ambassador explained, "The volume of trade between Iraq and Pakistan is not the size of ambition, but there is a beginning to increase the volume of trade exchange, as there are two Pakistani cement factories in Iraq and a hotel in Karbala (Baron) and also a Pakistani oil company that has a contract with the Iraqi government," noting that "the volume of The trade exchange between the two countries is very little, and we will try to increase its volume."
And he indicated, "The Pakistani people lead the holy places in Iraq as pilgrims and not as visitors, and we are about to sign a memorandum of understanding and we are trying with the Iraqi government to obtain a special policy for the visa offered to Pakistani visitors, and the Pakistani embassy opened its branch in Karbala during the Ashura visit this year to serve visitors." Pakistanis
Iraq and Saudi Arabia discuss steps to activate trade exchange through “Arar”
Today, Wednesday, Iraq and Saudi Arabia agreed to take new steps to activate the process of trade exchange at the Arar border crossing between the two countries.
The Iraqi Border Ports Authority stated, in a statement received by the "National News Center", that "the Transport and Border Ports Committee headed by the Authority's Chairman Omar Al-Waeli and his accompanying delegation held a meeting today at the Arar border port, in the presence of the Saudi ambassador in Iraq, with the Saudi side headed by the governor." To the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Chairman of the Transport Authority and the delegation accompanying them,” noting that “the meeting comes as a continuation of the Riyadh meeting.”
Al-Waeli confirmed, according to the statement, that "points have been established to resolve all obstacles facing the process of trade exchange at the port in order to increase them and facilitate the procedures for entering goods for both countries."
He added, according to the statement, "It was agreed to open a special office to certify certificates of origin after the approval of the Ministry of Commerce and to give facilities and priority to Iraqi importers and exporters alike."
The statement pointed out, "visiting the trade exchange arena and urging its workers to speed up the handling and exchange process and complete the required requirements."
He explained that "the port administration was assigned to develop tight plans with the security services and departments operating at the port to ensure the inspection of goods and prevent the passage of any materials outside the controls."
According to the statement, the Saudi side called for "supporting the port, increasing trade and activating transit as soon as possible, and naming coordinators between the ports to complete the roads to be completed by them in a way that ensures the smooth flow of entry and exit of trucks.
Erbil government reveals a deal with Baghdad regarding gasoline
Kurdistan government spokesman, Gutiar Adel, revealed a deal between the federal government and the regional government regarding gasoline.
Adel said in a press conference held today, in Erbil, that "the federal government sells one liter of gasoline to the Kurdistan region at a price of 650 Iraqi dinars."
He added that "20 dinars of it goes as wages to transport it to the Kurdistan region, then another 20 dinars are added to it as a profit for the owners of the fuel mill, bringing the price to 690 dinars per liter."
He continued, "We have emphasized more than once that the region's needs for gasoline are more than six million liters per day," noting that "the region is currently buying one million and 80 thousand liters per day from Baghdad.
Soon.. Launching the electronic card project for Iraqi farmers and investors
The Ministry of Agriculture, through the Department of Planning and Follow-up, announced today, Wednesday, the imminent launch of the electronic card project for the Iraqi farmer and investor.
And she stressed in a statement, that "work is continuing to implement the electronic card project, which is one of the important projects that received the attention of the Minister, Engineer Muhammad Karim Al-Khafaji, by directing to expedite its implementation and finalizing its launch, preparing and specifying its form, and providing all other requirements."
The statement indicated that "it intends to issue an electronic card for each Iraqi farmer and investor, and all requirements and obligations that occur between the farmer and the ministry are included, and to find a coordination formula in this field, as well as to define a database for the Ministry of Agriculture for the purpose of drawing up policies, plans and programs to advance the agricultural reality.
Sistani vs. the Militias: The Future of Iraqi Sovereignty
he international community needs to pay more attention to developments in Najaf, where Sistani-backed groups are forcefully pushing back against Iran but still face the longer-term question of who will continue his message.
On August 13, Iraqi militia leader Hamid al-Yasiri delivered an unprecedented public denunciation of Iran-backed armed groups operating in his country, accusing them of killing peaceful protestors and stealing public funds in the name of Shia Islam. The sermon was particularly powerful given Yasiri’s status as an influential cleric close to Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s top Shia figure. Such remarks provide another unmistakable sign of the widening gap between pro-Iran militias and pro-Sistani brigades in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)—a rift that could damage the political sway and local legitimacy of Tehran’s proxies. Understanding this vulnerability is key to devising any strategy aimed at countering Iraq’s most problematic militias.
Why Yasiri’s Sermon Hints at a Wider Shift
The August sermon reflects the broader ideological war currently being waged within Shia communities in Iraq and elsewhere. On one side is the militant/political Shia school led by the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose adherents are more loyal to transnational ideological principles than the sovereign nations in which they reside. On the other side is the nonpolitical Shia school led by Sistani, who holds sway in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf as al-Marja al-Ala (highest source of emulation).
Yasiri is not a spokesman of Sistani, so one cannot consider what he says as equivalent to a statement by the ayatollah. Yet he is a trustee of Sistani, and a key one at that. Sistani has hundreds of trustees charged with local duties such as collecting and allocating Islamic taxes. Yasiri is a particularly prominent one, serving as commander of Ansar al-Marjaiya, the PMF’s 44th Brigade and one of four Sistani-affiliated militias. Although these “shrine units” (Atabat) are formally part of the PMF, they refuse to obey orders from the Iran-dominated PMF Commission and are operationally under the Iraqi army.
Moreover, as part of Sistani’s circle, individuals like Yasiri understand his redlines and do not cross them. Hence, it is safe to say that the core message he delivered against Iran-backed militias fell within the framework of criticism acceptable to the ayatollah.
Recent actions by Sistani-affiliated militias are telling as well. For instance, when the PMF staged a large military parade in Diyala this June, the shrine units refused to take part despite being invited by the PMF Commission.
Parsing the Content and Tone of Yasiri’s Remarks
Speaking in the southern town of Rumaythah before hundreds of Shia mourners marking the holy month of Muharram, Yasiri dedicated most of his August sermon to a stinging rebuke of Iran-backed militias. One of his central messages was the importance of loyalty to Iraq: “We learned from Imam Hussein that to be a member of a country but loyal to another country is a big treason, it’s a massive fraud and a huge deception.” This topic is a sensitive one for Iraqi members of Tehran’s proxy groups, since many of their fellow citizens regard them as traitors. Yasiri continued: “To receive instructions and guidance from beyond the borders isn’t Imam Hussein’s ideology...We refuse these affiliations and these loyalties and announce with our loudest voice without fear or hesitation...that whoever is loyal to another country is a traitor.”
Indeed, his speech was notable for its angry tone as much as its content. He described Iran-backed militias in a manner suggesting excommunication or heretical separation from mainstream Shia Islam: “Our religion is not like their religion, and our Islam is not like theirs, and the Hussein [whose tomb] we walk to...is different from the Hussein they believe in. The Hussein we belong to is the son of Ali [the first Shia imam] and Fatimah [the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter], while the Hussein they belong to is the son of Shimr and the liver eater.” In Shia historiography, Shimr was the commander who beheaded Imam Hussein in 680 AD, and the “liver eater” is Hind, grandmother of the ruler who supposedly ordered Hussein’s death (so-named because she purportedly removed and bit the liver of the Prophet’s slain uncle after the Battle of Uhud in 625 AD). In other words, Yasiri associated Iran-backed militias with ancient enemies of Shia Islam—a message that could prove extremely damaging to their religious legitimacy when delivered by someone close to Sistani.
Sistani’s Gradual Pushback Against Tehran
By forcefully expressing Shia beliefs that are compatible with the modern concepts of the nation-state and sovereignty, Yasiri’s sermon lent urgency to an ideology that Sistani has been propagating for years. As Sistani’s official representative Ahmed al-Safi declared in a famous January 2020 statement, “Iraq must be its own master, ruled by its people; foreigners must have no role in its decisions.” The struggle to advance this view has both political and ideological implications—though in Sistani’s case the ideological angle often comes to the fore because he is a religious figure whose legitimacy depends on couching such issues in largely theological terms.
Another way in which Sistani has reaffirmed the importance of respecting national sovereignty is by exhorting Shia to integrate into the country they call home, whether Iraq or another nation. As Hamid al-Khafaf, his representative in Lebanon, noted in a September 2015 video, “[Sistani] believes in the necessity of integrating the Shia in whatever country they live, and [he] leaves the qualified people to manage their affairs,” implicitly referring to state officials. Religious institutions supervised by Sistani have promulgated similar messages. In March 2019, for example, the Imam Hussein Shrine Foundation organized a conference titled, “The Foundations of the Civil State from an Islamic Perspective,” whose agenda focused on discussing secular political systems through a religious lens.
Such views are diametrically opposed to the revolutionary pan-Shia worldview espoused by the Iranian regime, whose central ideology of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurisprudent) places the rulings of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei above those of any elected civil officials in Iran or abroad. This is why controlling Najaf and its seminaries—or, at least, marginalizing them—is a prerequisite to any Iranian takeover of Iraq. As long as Sistani is alive and well, this scenario is extremely unlikely. Yet he is ninety-one years old, and based on Najaf’s traditions, determining his successor once he passes may take months or even years. Iran and its proxies may therefore choose that moment to either install a favorite marja or sow enough chaos and uncertainty in Najaf to tarnish the city’s influence.
In the most practical terms, this dispute has come to a head over the management of Iraq’s militias. Since its inception in 2014, the PMF has been dominated by pro-Iran groups that treat the pro-Sistani shrine units unfavorably. By flouting the PMF Commission’s directives and aligning with factions that have not succumbed to Tehran—namely, Sistani, the Najaf school, and the national army—the shrine units are helping to stave off any proxy plans for incrementally taking over Iraq the way Hezbollah has taken over Lebanon. Going forward, these units and other proponents of Iraqi national sovereignty (e.g., Yasiri) can play a crucial role in ensuring a peaceful transition process and maintaining order in Najaf once the time comes for a new marja.
Policy Recommendations
Washington and other international players should keep their distance when intra-Shia religious debates are underway. However subtle outsiders think they are being, foreign intervention can disrupt promising local developments. Yet partners can still take indirect measures to reinforce the efforts of Sistani’s followers:
Support shrine units indirectly via the Defense Ministry. As mentioned above, the shrine units are now operationally linked to the Iraqi army rather than the Iran-dominated PMF Commission (e.g., they follow army orders and occasionally participate in joint operations). Accordingly, the international community should encourage the Iraqi government and security forces to bolster their relationship with shrine units and help them increase their operational capacity.
Restore the web domain of Karbala TV. In June, the U.S. Justice Department seized thirty-three domains run by media channels affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Radio and Television Union. One of the outlets targeted was Karbala TV, a channel owned by the Imam Hussein Shrine Foundation and affiliated with Sistani. This was an unnecessary move against an outlet that has not expressed any hostility toward the United States.
Follow Najaf politics more closely. Besides avoiding blanket measures that create unnecessary friction with Najaf, the Biden administration needs to become much more familiar with Sistani-affiliated factions. At the very least, closely following local Shia religious and political developments could help Washington avoid unintended conflicts with elements who share its goal of keeping Iraqis in charge of a sovereign, stable Iraq.
Below here is the daily WOTS report, Word on the Street for September 15, 2021:
Favorite Currencies Forex Quotes
| Symbol | Bid | Ask | High | Low | Open | Change | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD/IQD |  1434.3000 |  1485.1000 | 1453.2000 | 1453.2000 | 1453.2000 | -1.5000 | 00:17 |
| USD/VND | 22758.0000 | 22760.0000 | 22730.8700 | 22716.5800 | 22716.5800 | 17.5600 | 00:17 |
| USD/CNY | 6.4318 | 6.4338 | 6.4432 | 6.4313 | 6.4384 | -0.0067 | 05:30 |
| USD/KWD | 0.3002 | 0.3012 | 0.3004 | 0.3003 | 0.3004 | -0.0001 | 05:22 |
| GBP/USD |  1.3828 | 1.3828 | 1.3842 | 1.3792 | 1.3807 | 0.0021 | 05:32 |
| USD/IRR | 42000.0000 | 42210.0000 | 42097.5000 | 42097.5000 | 42097.5000 | 0.0000 | 00:00 |
| USD/IDR | 14235.0000 | 14235.0000 | 14265.0000 | 14222.0000 | 14250.0000 | -16.0000 | 05:32 |
Will the oil recovery save the fiscal budget deficit? Al-Kazemi's advisor answers
Mazhar Muhammad Salih, the economic and financial advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, commented on Tuesday, on the possibility of ending the financial deficit in the 2022 budget, after the rise in oil prices.
Saleh told Shafaq News Agency, "The rise in oil and non-oil revenues is the basis for ending the deficit in the upcoming budgets."
He added, "Also, adherence to the same spending ceiling in the budget of 2022 and similarly to the budget of 2021 with average annual oil prices of no less than 65 dollars per barrel, with the increase in non-oil revenues to double, will lead to reducing the deficit to the limits of the percentage drawn by the financial management law in force, which is about 3 % of Iraq's GDP.
Saleh concluded his speech by saying, "This, by its nature, leads to the realization of the so-called phenomenon of financial consolidation or discipline as a goal of sustainability and financial stability for the country."
According to preliminary figures in the draft financial budget for next year, the total size of the budget ranges between 120 and 140 trillion dinars, with a deficit of 20 percent.
The size of the financial budget for the current year, which was approved by Parliament at the end of last March, amounted to 129 trillion dinars, and a deficit of 28 trillion
Iraq relies on the revenues from selling crude to cover more than 90 percent of state expenditures, which has put the country in a stifling financial crisis the year as a result of the decline in oil prices in global markets due to the Corona pandemic
Pakistan confirms its intention to increase the volume of trade exchange with Iraq
On Tuesday, the Pakistani ambassador to Baghdad, Amjad Ali, affirmed his country's intention to increase the volume of trade exchange with Iraq.
The media office of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce stated, in a statement seen by "Al-Iqtisad News", that "Abdul Razzaq Al-Zuhairi, President of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce received at the Federation's headquarters, Ahmed Amjad Ali, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Baghdad."
The statement added, "Al-Zuhairi discussed with the visiting guest ways to strengthen and develop bilateral relations between the two countries in issues of common interest."
Al-Zuhairi stressed, "The importance of strengthening aspects of trade relations by diversifying the frameworks of consultation, which contributes to achieving the aspirations of Baghdad and Islamabad, and raising the pace of bilateral trade cooperation at various investment, economic and development levels, for the benefit of both countries."
He added, "In the next few days, a delegation of Iraqi businessmen affiliated with the Federation will visit Islamabad to accelerate and strengthen bilateral relations, and during this visit, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Trade and Industry of Pakistan regarding trade exchange and cooperation between the two parties and the establishment of a council for joint business.
In turn, the Pakistani ambassador affirmed that "Iraq and Pakistan have strong relations and for a long time have important relations in various religious and cultural fields and in the bilateral common interests between the two parties."
The ambassador explained, "The volume of trade between Iraq and Pakistan is not the size of ambition, but there is a beginning to increase the volume of trade exchange, as there are two Pakistani cement factories in Iraq and a hotel in Karbala (Baron) and also a Pakistani oil company that has a contract with the Iraqi government," noting that "the volume of The trade exchange between the two countries is very little, and we will try to increase its volume."
And he indicated, "The Pakistani people lead the holy places in Iraq as pilgrims and not as visitors, and we are about to sign a memorandum of understanding and we are trying with the Iraqi government to obtain a special policy for the visa offered to Pakistani visitors, and the Pakistani embassy opened its branch in Karbala during the Ashura visit this year to serve visitors." Pakistanis
Sistani vs. the Militias: The Future of Iraqi Sovereignty
he international community needs to pay more attention to developments in Najaf, where Sistani-backed groups are forcefully pushing back against Iran but still face the longer-term question of who will continue his message.
On August 13, Iraqi militia leader Hamid al-Yasiri delivered an unprecedented public denunciation of Iran-backed armed groups operating in his country, accusing them of killing peaceful protestors and stealing public funds in the name of Shia Islam. The sermon was particularly powerful given Yasiri’s status as an influential cleric close to Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s top Shia figure. Such remarks provide another unmistakable sign of the widening gap between pro-Iran militias and pro-Sistani brigades in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)—a rift that could damage the political sway and local legitimacy of Tehran’s proxies. Understanding this vulnerability is key to devising any strategy aimed at countering Iraq’s most problematic militias.
Why Yasiri’s Sermon Hints at a Wider Shift
The August sermon reflects the broader ideological war currently being waged within Shia communities in Iraq and elsewhere. On one side is the militant/political Shia school led by the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose adherents are more loyal to transnational ideological principles than the sovereign nations in which they reside. On the other side is the nonpolitical Shia school led by Sistani, who holds sway in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf as al-Marja al-Ala (highest source of emulation).
Yasiri is not a spokesman of Sistani, so one cannot consider what he says as equivalent to a statement by the ayatollah. Yet he is a trustee of Sistani, and a key one at that. Sistani has hundreds of trustees charged with local duties such as collecting and allocating Islamic taxes. Yasiri is a particularly prominent one, serving as commander of Ansar al-Marjaiya, the PMF’s 44th Brigade and one of four Sistani-affiliated militias. Although these “shrine units” (Atabat) are formally part of the PMF, they refuse to obey orders from the Iran-dominated PMF Commission and are operationally under the Iraqi army.
Moreover, as part of Sistani’s circle, individuals like Yasiri understand his redlines and do not cross them. Hence, it is safe to say that the core message he delivered against Iran-backed militias fell within the framework of criticism acceptable to the ayatollah.
Recent actions by Sistani-affiliated militias are telling as well. For instance, when the PMF staged a large military parade in Diyala this June, the shrine units refused to take part despite being invited by the PMF Commission.
Parsing the Content and Tone of Yasiri’s Remarks
Speaking in the southern town of Rumaythah before hundreds of Shia mourners marking the holy month of Muharram, Yasiri dedicated most of his August sermon to a stinging rebuke of Iran-backed militias. One of his central messages was the importance of loyalty to Iraq: “We learned from Imam Hussein that to be a member of a country but loyal to another country is a big treason, it’s a massive fraud and a huge deception.” This topic is a sensitive one for Iraqi members of Tehran’s proxy groups, since many of their fellow citizens regard them as traitors. Yasiri continued: “To receive instructions and guidance from beyond the borders isn’t Imam Hussein’s ideology...We refuse these affiliations and these loyalties and announce with our loudest voice without fear or hesitation...that whoever is loyal to another country is a traitor.”
Indeed, his speech was notable for its angry tone as much as its content. He described Iran-backed militias in a manner suggesting excommunication or heretical separation from mainstream Shia Islam: “Our religion is not like their religion, and our Islam is not like theirs, and the Hussein [whose tomb] we walk to...is different from the Hussein they believe in. The Hussein we belong to is the son of Ali [the first Shia imam] and Fatimah [the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter], while the Hussein they belong to is the son of Shimr and the liver eater.” In Shia historiography, Shimr was the commander who beheaded Imam Hussein in 680 AD, and the “liver eater” is Hind, grandmother of the ruler who supposedly ordered Hussein’s death (so-named because she purportedly removed and bit the liver of the Prophet’s slain uncle after the Battle of Uhud in 625 AD). In other words, Yasiri associated Iran-backed militias with ancient enemies of Shia Islam—a message that could prove extremely damaging to their religious legitimacy when delivered by someone close to Sistani.
Sistani’s Gradual Pushback Against Tehran
By forcefully expressing Shia beliefs that are compatible with the modern concepts of the nation-state and sovereignty, Yasiri’s sermon lent urgency to an ideology that Sistani has been propagating for years. As Sistani’s official representative Ahmed al-Safi declared in a famous January 2020 statement, “Iraq must be its own master, ruled by its people; foreigners must have no role in its decisions.” The struggle to advance this view has both political and ideological implications—though in Sistani’s case the ideological angle often comes to the fore because he is a religious figure whose legitimacy depends on couching such issues in largely theological terms.
Another way in which Sistani has reaffirmed the importance of respecting national sovereignty is by exhorting Shia to integrate into the country they call home, whether Iraq or another nation. As Hamid al-Khafaf, his representative in Lebanon, noted in a September 2015 video, “[Sistani] believes in the necessity of integrating the Shia in whatever country they live, and [he] leaves the qualified people to manage their affairs,” implicitly referring to state officials. Religious institutions supervised by Sistani have promulgated similar messages. In March 2019, for example, the Imam Hussein Shrine Foundation organized a conference titled, “The Foundations of the Civil State from an Islamic Perspective,” whose agenda focused on discussing secular political systems through a religious lens.
Such views are diametrically opposed to the revolutionary pan-Shia worldview espoused by the Iranian regime, whose central ideology of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurisprudent) places the rulings of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei above those of any elected civil officials in Iran or abroad. This is why controlling Najaf and its seminaries—or, at least, marginalizing them—is a prerequisite to any Iranian takeover of Iraq. As long as Sistani is alive and well, this scenario is extremely unlikely. Yet he is ninety-one years old, and based on Najaf’s traditions, determining his successor once he passes may take months or even years. Iran and its proxies may therefore choose that moment to either install a favorite marja or sow enough chaos and uncertainty in Najaf to tarnish the city’s influence.
In the most practical terms, this dispute has come to a head over the management of Iraq’s militias. Since its inception in 2014, the PMF has been dominated by pro-Iran groups that treat the pro-Sistani shrine units unfavorably. By flouting the PMF Commission’s directives and aligning with factions that have not succumbed to Tehran—namely, Sistani, the Najaf school, and the national army—the shrine units are helping to stave off any proxy plans for incrementally taking over Iraq the way Hezbollah has taken over Lebanon. Going forward, these units and other proponents of Iraqi national sovereignty (e.g., Yasiri) can play a crucial role in ensuring a peaceful transition process and maintaining order in Najaf once the time comes for a new marja.
Policy Recommendations
Washington and other international players should keep their distance when intra-Shia religious debates are underway. However subtle outsiders think they are being, foreign intervention can disrupt promising local developments. Yet partners can still take indirect measures to reinforce the efforts of Sistani’s followers:
Support shrine units indirectly via the Defense Ministry. As mentioned above, the shrine units are now operationally linked to the Iraqi army rather than the Iran-dominated PMF Commission (e.g., they follow army orders and occasionally participate in joint operations). Accordingly, the international community should encourage the Iraqi government and security forces to bolster their relationship with shrine units and help them increase their operational capacity.
Restore the web domain of Karbala TV. In June, the U.S. Justice Department seized thirty-three domains run by media channels affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Radio and Television Union. One of the outlets targeted was Karbala TV, a channel owned by the Imam Hussein Shrine Foundation and affiliated with Sistani. This was an unnecessary move against an outlet that has not expressed any hostility toward the United States.
Follow Najaf politics more closely. Besides avoiding blanket measures that create unnecessary friction with Najaf, the Biden administration needs to become much more familiar with Sistani-affiliated factions. At the very least, closely following local Shia religious and political developments could help Washington avoid unintended conflicts with elements who share its goal of keeping Iraqis in charge of a sovereign, stable Iraq.
CBI Update: Just a note:
including $17,400,000. CASH
ISX Update: Shares Traded: not updated for todayValue Traded: not updated for today
9-14-2021 Newshound Guru Pimpy Everybody's talking about, 'hey there's a new dinar, a new crypto dinar that's out over there in Iraq.' That's the new rumor that's going around. It's not new you guys. There's all kinds of tokenized dinar. You guys just didn't know about it. It's been around for a while...cryptocurrencies for the dinar have been around for a while now. They're backed by gold. I do like that.
9-14-2021 Newshound Guru MilitiaMan [Kazemi]...what did he do? He showed them the money. How did he show the money? He told you... we're going to value our oil in dinar at 45 dinar to a barrel. It's basic. It's that simple. He did it...Who did he do it with? He did it with the King [of Saudi Arabia], who is the head of what? One of the head honchos of OPEC...this is really powerful stuff. It's effectively going to be a global situation. It's not going to be just about Iraq anymore...all boats rise with the tide and here we are...
9-14-2021 Newshound/Intel Guru Petra What happened last week with the oil money. Everybody know about the Petrodollar [Oil based on the US dollar]...they announced they had calculated the oil revenue in dinars. That was huge. That is an indication that they had de-pegged from the U.S. dollar. The fact that they calculated the rate...is very very exciting. I think that's a major major move last week.
9-14-2021 Intel Guru MarkZ [via PDK] Well great expectations for later today… Wednesday...notifications for us to begin…Is this going to happen? We don’t know. ...We are seeing plenty of smoke and are looking to see the fire.
9-14-2021 Newshound/Intel Gurus Walkingstick & Frank26 IOO the meetings that have been occurring with the central bank of Iraq and all the central banks around the world on a daily basis but recently apexed at a summit conference in Baghdad...every central bank on this planet Earth has come to Iraq. This is the process...the last meeting they had just a few days ago...the scuttlebutt that was conversed at this meeting is that within the next two weeks the CBI will be introducing all the information on the new small category notes and the new exchange rate for the Iraqi dinar...the fact that the two witnesses [Kazemi and Mustafa, the CBI governor] are talking directly and seriously about introducing a new exchange rate and new small category notes is encouraging. It's positive. It's awesome. It's exciting. It's a fact because it's from them and it's in print now.
9-14-2021 Intel Guru Fleming Late Monday RV Report: The push is on for Tier 4... Value day is every single day that this RV is attempted, and as although the RV has not begun the rates remain locked in. Just as Tier 4 are locked in...Rates for the currencies we’re expecting, are locked in now. Last week, Iraqi Key Card holders for instance, received a letter and a new Debit card that can be used at any ATM machine, explaining to them about the Golden Dinar, and that it would be paying out no less than $3.90 and as high as $4.05 USD...The currencies will flip to their Golden state. Currencies will flip all over the world, possibly while we’re sleeping. Expect this every minute, every day.
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