Friday Iraq News Posted by Tishwash at TNT 7-31-2026

‍TNT:

Tishwash: A former deputy confirms there are understandings regarding the timing of finalizing the cabinet and the American withdrawal.

Former MP Hussein Ali confirmed the existence of political understandings regarding the timelines for finalizing the cabinet and the American withdrawal from Iraq, noting optimism for achieving positive results in the coming days.

Ali told Al-Maalouma, "Iraq has set important timelines related to finalizing the cabinet, in addition to the American withdrawal from Iraqi territory. In return, Washington has set conditions for Baghdad to withdraw its forces from Iraqi soil."

He added, "America has set conditions, most notably those related to the disarmament of factions and the relationship with Iran. Trump has issued many tweets regarding these issues, but the wisdom of the leaders of the coordination framework will lead to positive results."

He explained that "the coming days cannot be predicted in detail, but there is optimism regarding the understandings and political activity aimed at achieving positive results, especially given the efforts to finalize the cabinet formation by next September and pass it in its entirety."  link

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Tishwash: Monetary stability map: Al-Zaydi's advisor reveals the truth about removing zeros and the reasons for the scarcity of small denominations

The financial advisor to the Prime Minister put an end to the growing debate in Iraq, asserting that talk of removing zeros from the currency or the existence of a cash crisis is merely baseless rumor. While attributing the scarcity of small denominations to their rapid deterioration due to frequent circulation, he emphasized that the problem lies not in printing new currency, but rather in the way liquidity is managed and circulated within banks.

Zero Removal Project

The Prime Minister’s financial advisor, Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, told Al-Alam Al-Jadeed on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) that “Iraq does not currently have any official indications or decisions regarding removing zeros from the Iraqi currency,” explaining that “this measure is part of a comprehensive monetary reform, and it cannot proceed except after creating a stable economic and financial environment and fulfilling the necessary technical and institutional requirements.”

He adds that “removing zeros, if implemented in the future, is a regulatory measure aimed at simplifying monetary transactions and accounting systems, and does not in itself result in an increase in the real value of the dinar or an improvement in the purchasing power of the citizen, because purchasing power remains linked to economic performance, production and financial stability.”

small denominations

Saleh explains the scarcity of small denominations of currency by their paper nature and high rate of circulation, which leads to their being damaged within a short period of time. He clarifies that this phenomenon is not related to a shortage in issuance, but rather to the characteristics of their daily use.

He points out that Iraq, unlike many countries that rely on coins for small denominations, still uses paper denominations, noting that the lifespan of these denominations does not exceed about one year according to international standards, due to the intensity of their use and their continuous transfer between hands, at a time when reliance on paper money remains high while electronic payment methods continue to grow.

The issue of small denominations of currency has resurfaced after increasing questions about the reasons for their scarcity in Iraqi markets, amid ongoing debate about cash liquidity management and mechanisms to meet daily trading needs.

Printing a new currency

Saleh believes that “it cannot be said that Iraq is suffering from a shortage of money supply in the sense that necessitates printing new currency, as the Central Bank has the ability to provide cash in accordance with the needs of the economy, and the size of the currency issuance is linked to specific technical and economic factors.”

He continues, “The most prominent challenge is managing and distributing liquidity efficiently within the banking sector, in addition to encouraging banking and electronic transactions to reduce hoarding outside the banking system and improve the efficiency of cash circulation.”

Saleh emphasizes that “issuing a new edition of currency is not just a technical decision, but rather an integrated process that requires a careful study of monetary needs, costs, and the characteristics of the new currency, as well as coordination between the Central Bank and relevant government agencies.”

The Prime Minister’s financial advisor points out that “no official announcement has yet been issued regarding the adoption of a new currency issue, which means that any steps in this direction remain subject to the monetary authority’s assessments and market needs, and are not related to the existence of a currency crisis. What is being raised in this regard is based on statements issued by non-specialized sources.”

Official assurances

Amid growing talk of liquidity pressures and delays in releasing some salaries, governmental and parliamentary assurances emerged that the current crisis is temporary and does not represent a structural flaw in the economy, coinciding with moves to address financial obligations, complete the preparation of the draft general budget, and initiate legislative reforms related to public finance management.

The parliamentary finance committee affirmed that the government possesses the necessary tools and capabilities to overcome the current stage, noting that the financial pressures came as a result of regional economic repercussions and a decline in oil exports, but they do not amount to a structural crisis, and that the government measures aim to contain the immediate challenges while continuing to implement the economic reform path, and ensuring the continuation of government obligations, foremost among them the salaries of employees and social entitlements.

Regarding the issue of salaries, the Finance Committee reassured employees about their entitlements, explaining that any delay in releasing salaries is due to an emergency and temporary shortage of financial liquidity, and that the concerned authorities are working to address it within a short period.

Jamal Kojar, a member of the parliamentary finance committee, said in a press statement followed by “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed” that the government places the issue of salaries among its priorities, expecting the disbursement procedures to be completed before the end of the week, and pointing out the readiness of the Ministry of Finance to work during Friday and Saturday to complete the necessary administrative orders and expedite the arrival of entitlements and prevent any further delays.

2026 Budget Project

In parallel, the Finance Committee revealed that the government intends to send the draft general budget law to the House of Representatives during the month of October, with the parliament to begin discussing it as soon as it arrives, with the aim of approving it before the end of the year. This step aims to provide a more flexible financial framework to deal with fluctuations in oil prices, given the continued heavy reliance of the Iraqi economy on oil revenues to finance public spending and government projects.

Between temporary liquidity pressures, preparations for budget approval, and the move towards new legislative reforms, the next stage appears to be a test of the ability of financial institutions to turn promises into practical measures, since the success of resource management will not be measured only by the speed of salary disbursement, but also by the extent to which the state is able to build a more stable financial system that is less affected by fluctuations in oil revenues.link

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Tishwash:  How long can Iraq rely on the Central Bank's reserves, money-printing scheme to survive?

For four months, despite an 83 percent decrease in its revenue, Iraq has still been able to cover its monthly expenses; above all, seven trillion Iraqi dinars (about $5.3 billion) for wage earners, including the Kurdistan Region.

It is true that the delayed return of oil revenue through the national marketer's mechanism, the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), resolved some of the imbalance between revenue and spending during the ongoing war, but what has sustained the Iraqi government financially is the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) by introducing 43 trillion dinars (about $32.6 billion). This was done by injecting newly printed money and reducing the reserves it had accumulated over two decades. 

According to data from the federal oil ministry and SOMO, the combined oil revenues of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region over the past two months still do not reach one-third of a single pre-war month's revenue.

Data shared by SOMO show that in May and June 2026 (61 days), total revenue stood at $2.33 billion, whereas in just the 28 days of February, it was $6.8 billion. This is despite the fact that 17 to 24 percent of the revenue reported by SOMO goes to foreign companies operating in Iraq. In other words, over the past two months, Iraq had approximately 2.5 trillion dinars (about $1.9 billion) in oil revenue, but its monthly expenditure was seven times that amount.

Since the beginning of the Iran war in late February, the question that constantly arose was whether the Iraqi government would be unable to cover its expenses, particularly salary expenses, due to the decrease in oil exports and revenue, but now the government is distributing salaries for July 2026. How did this happen, and where did the money originate from?

While many questions linger, four stand out: How can Iraq sustain expenses where 90 percent goes toward operational costs and salaries without sufficient revenue? Why has the dinar appreciated against the US dollar despite increased liquidity injection? Can Iraq live off its foreign reserves, and for how long? To what extent can it continue printing dinar currency (from 50,000 to 250 dinar notes) for the market?

Expenditure amid appreciation

In the first half of this year, Iraq's monthly expenditure roughly mirrored that of last year. Finance ministry data puts total expenditure for the first five months at 46.69 trillion dinars (about $35.35 billion), projected to reach approximately 55.56 trillion dinars (about $42.07 billion) over six months - on par with the 56.7 trillion dinars (about $42.92 billion) spent in the first half of last year.

In contrast, total revenue for the first six months of last year stood at 62 trillion dinars (about $46.94 billion) - 57 trillion oil (about $43.15 billion), five trillion non-oil (about $3.79 billion) - whereas in the first half of this year, it barely reached approximately 35.56 trillion dinars (about $26.92 billion) - roughly half of last year's figure.

Iraq sustained these expenses by utilizing reserves, issuing new currency into circulation, cutting operational and investment spending, and attempting to recover billions of dinars and millions of dollars hidden in barrels, cans, walls, and pits - as seen in Operation Dawn and the case of Adnan Al-Jumaili, former deputy oil minister for refining affairs, who was awarded “Best Manager of the Year" by the former Iraqi prime minister and oil minister just last year. 

The answer to the second question - why the dinar has appreciated against the US dollar despite increased liquidity injection - is simple: the Iraqi dinar does not maintain a standard direct relationship with the US dollar, nor does Iraq's currency market react rapidly to bank interest rates and market shifts like Turkey or Iran. Instead, the CBI directly sets and maintains the exchange rate.

By standard economic metrics, injecting excess dinars without backing from production and GDP growth should weaken the currency. However, as observed recently, the dinar's value against the dollar appreciated rather than depreciated.

Statistics show that at the end of last year, total currency printed by the CBI was 99.79 trillion dinars (about$76.14 billion) - 92.56 trillion held in banks, 7.24 trillion outside. By May end, total printed currency reached 113.56 trillion dinars (about $86.66 billion) - 6.75 trillion in banks, 106.8 trillion in circulation outside. Over the first five months of this year, the CBI injected an extra 2.75 trillion dinars (about $2.1 billion) per month. Consequently, the exchange rate dropped from above 157,000 dinars to 149,500 dinars per $100.

Moreover, CBI figures through July 2 show that the US had not sent any cash dollars to Iraq this year, causing foreign cash reserves at the Bank to drop to $84 million before rebounding to over $500 million. By July 16, cash reserves stood at $319 million - meaning the US sent only a single shipment of $500 million in physical cash to Iraq up to mid-July 2026.

Ultimately, what moves the dollar-dinar market is big merchants and capitalists holding massive reserves of both currencies accumulated over the past two decades, rather than basic supply-and-demand laws or CBI monetary policy alone. 

Monetary expansion risks

Iraq's foreign currency reserves have experienced major ups and downs over the past two decades, continuously rising and accumulating until late 2022. At the beginning of 2014, it reached 90 trillion dinars (about $68.49 billion), later dropping to 50 trillion (about $38.05 billion) due to the war on the Islamic State (ISIS), rising to 80 trillion (about $60.88 billion) before COVID, and dropping to 64 trillion (about $48.70 billion) during the COVID era.

At the beginning of 2023, it reached 150 trillion dinars (about $114.14 billion), and now (July 16, 2026) it has dropped to 102.5 trillion dinars (about $78 billion). 

Over the past six months or so, since late January through July 16, reserves have dropped by 29.4 trillion dinars (about $22.37 billion) - falling from 131.89 trillion (about $100.36 billion) to 102.5 trillion. If Iraq receives very low income, it can rely on its reserves for at most six more months. Reserves cannot be drawn down to zero; dropping below half of their current level signals national insolvency.

Furthermore, 29 trillion dinars (about $22.07 billion) of these reserves consist of gold - whose value keeps fluctuating with world market prices (losing 6.4 trillion dinars, or about $4.87 billion, in value this year) - while the rest is tied up in financial bonds, which have decreased by 20 trillion dinars (about $15.22 billion) since the start of the year as funds were drawn down.

The CBI’s financial system requires money printing to be backed by labor, production and services - areas where Iraq faces severe structural deficits. Over the past six months, the CBI expanded the currency supply by approximately 13.7 trillion dinars (about $10.43 billion).

The only dangerous consequence of printing money without domestic product (GDP) growth is rising inflation; on April 1 of last year the rate was 0.4 percent and on April 1 of this year it reached 4.7 percent, while last month it reached 3 percent.

If currency printing continues without output-backed revenue, inflation will enter double digits. Commodity price controls will collapse, pushing poverty, unemployment, and financial hardship higher while further undermining real GDP growth.

Iraq's revenues and expenditures in the first half of this year were severely unbalanced. However, the CBI bailed out the government and prevented a liquidity crisis by injecting 43 trillion dinars (about $32.56 billion) into circulation - raising printed currency from 99.79 trillion (about $75.56 billion) to 113.56 trillion dinars (about $85.98 billion) while depleting reserves from 131.89 trillion (about $99.86 billion) to 102.5 trillion dinars (about $77.61 billion).

The budget deficit was covered by printing money and eroding reserves - not through structural reform, revenue diversification, operational cost cuts, productive sector activation, or recovering the trillions lost to corruption. Iraq can likely limp along to the end of this year, however, what it will do next year remains to be seen. link

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Tishwash:  Al-Zaydi tells Iraqis: Salaries will be delayed... the country is going through a real financial crisis.

Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi acknowledged on Thursday (July 30, 2026) that the country is experiencing a real financial crisis, stressing that the recent statements made by Health Minister Abdul-Hussein al-Moussawi regarding the financial situation are accurate and realistic.

Al-Aboudi explained that Iraq's monthly requirements are very large, noting that the mechanism for disbursing salaries will not be as before, as distribution is delayed until the Ministry of Finance has sufficient liquidity, especially with the continued repercussions of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on revenue exports.

Al-Aboudi confirmed during an interview with journalist Mona Sami, which was followed by 964 Network , that “the crisis we are going through and the issue mentioned by the Minister of Health is true,” indicating that “Iraq’s monthly requirements are large and salaries are not as they were in the past.”

He explained that “there will be a delay in salaries until the funds are completed and distributed in the manner overseen by the Ministry of Finance. Are we in a crisis? Yes, we are in a crisis.”

Health Minister Abdul Hussein Al-Moussawi had previously revealed a severe financial crisis plaguing the health sector, stressing that “there is no money” and that the government’s main concern from the beginning to the end of the month is to secure salaries amounting to about 11 trillion dinars, at a time when the total of Iraq’s oil exports during 4 months did not exceed 2 trillion dinars.

Al-Moussawi explained that the hospitals' infrastructure is "in poor condition," and that the "Kimadia" company stopped supplying the medicines contracted with Iraq due to accumulated financial dues.

In light of this reality, the minister stressed his refusal to surrender by sitting idly by, emphasizing that he is personally concerned with putting pressure on the government, the Ministry of Finance, and health personnel to find solutions out of thin air.

At the same time, he pointed out the disparity in the performance of the administrations, as some of them succeeded in running the hospitals with an amount of 45 million dinars due to the clean hands of their administrations, in contrast to other hospitals that have more than two billion, yet everything in them seems miserable.

Adnan al-Danbous, a leader in the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, held what he called “accidental leaders” who ruled Iraq after 2003 responsible for the country’s current financial hardship and difficulty in securing salaries as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Al-Danbous believes that these “accidental leaders” did not consider diversifying Iraq’s non-oil revenues and relied on oil as the primary source of income.

In his interview with journalist Sajjad al-Jubouri, which was followed by 964 Network , al-Danbous also expressed his strong resentment towards “neighboring Iran” for not allowing Iraqi oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and for contributing to “economically strangling Iraq,” noting that Iraq has suffered for centuries due to its geographical location.  link