Iraq Economic News and Points To Ponder Monday Morning 1-19-26
Six measures to protect gold and regulate its market: Mazhar Saleh explains Iraq's vision for national wealth.
Time: 2026/01/19 Readings: 105 times {Economic: Al-Furat News} The Prime Minister’s financial advisor, Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, outlined six key measures on Monday to regulate the gold market, noting that the Gold City project is a strategic initiative to protect one of the nation’s greatest assets.
Saleh said in a press statement: “The global rise in gold prices has not led to a decline in demand for it in the local market, but rather has contributed to changing its function from an ‘ornamental commodity’ to a ‘savings tool and protection of value,’ stressing the ‘need to adopt a unified national mark and the obligation of modern technical examination to protect household savings.’”
He added that "this functional transformation of the yellow metal makes quality control and government oversight an urgent economic and social necessity, as it protects families' wealth and enhances confidence in the market," indicating that "quick and low-cost procedures, such as the unified national marking and rapid technical inspection, represent sufficient means to restore discipline and reduce manipulation."
Saleh pointed out that “gold remains a symbol of family security and savings for generations in the Iraqi social memory, and with rising prices, it has become part of the tools of unofficial monetary policy, as it is a store of value parallel to the dinar,” noting that “regulating the market is not a formal procedure, but rather a basic condition for building confidence and protecting national wealth.”
Saleh called for "a comprehensive reform of the gold market system, through the adoption of a unified and mandatory Iraqi mark that includes (carat, testing authority, and year of mark), while criminalizing the trading of unmarked gold," stressing "the importance of strengthening oversight through field testing using modern technologies such as (XRF), which reveals the truth about gold immediately without causing any damage to the pieces."
The financial advisor added that "the next stage requires regulating gold smelting and import operations through workshop licensing and tightening border inspection, as well as establishing a national register for gold traders and adopting unified official invoices to reduce undocumented trading," noting that "empowering the consumer through awareness campaigns and effective reporting mechanisms represents a fundamental pillar in this system."
Saleh concluded his remarks by saying: “The institutional completion of the ‘City of Gold’ project has become an urgent necessity, as it represents the official incubator for protecting this great national wealth and providing the highest standards of legal and professional protection for it.” LINK
A US Official Admits To Rigging The Tax System And Stealing Citizens' Money.
Today 13:50 Information/Follow-up... US Deputy Secretary of Health Jim O’Neill sparked widespread controversy after describing the US tax system as “rigged,” asserting that taxpayers’ money is not being spent in the channels intended for it.
“You pay taxes and health insurance premiums, but where does that money go? The vast majority of it is spent on scams, political campaigns, illegal immigrants, and large corporations that provide no real benefit to citizens,” O’Neill wrote in a post on the X platform.
He added: “The system is rigged,” expressing his dissatisfaction with the mismanagement of public resources and the lack of effective oversight of government spending.
O'Neill's statement comes amid growing criticism within the United States regarding corruption and the waste of public funds. Last May, businessman Elon Musk, while serving as an advisor to the Government Efficiency Management Initiative (DOGE), revealed that some civil servants were spending public funds on renting luxury hotels and sports stadiums for private parties. /25 LINK
Economic Expert: Lebanon Is Not Paying Its Dues To Iraq And Is Importing Fuel Oil From Kuwait.
Today Information / Baghdad… Economic expert Nabil Al-Marsoumi confirmed on Monday that Lebanon's outstanding debts to Iraq as a result of fuel sales amounted to $2.7 billion, noting that Baghdad has not yet demanded these debts.
Al-Marsoumi said in a Facebook post, which was reviewed by Al-Maalouma Agency, that “Iraq is forced to cut part of its employees’ salaries to address the financial crisis, while Lebanon continues not to pay its dues and proceeds to import fuel from Kuwait instead of Iraq, which exacerbates the financial contradiction between the two countries.”
He pointed out that "Lebanon's failure to meet its debt obligations is a blow to the Iraqi economy and increases pressure on the state treasury," calling for "urgent steps to be taken to recover the financial dues."
Fuel oil is a type of liquid fuel used primarily in power plants and heavy industries, and is considered one of the most important energy sources in Iraq, Lebanon, and neighboring countries. End/25 LINK
Parliamentary Movement To Overturn The Decisions Of The Ministerial Council For The Economy That Violate The Law
January 18, 10:45 The Information/Baghdad… MP Mohammed Qutaiba al-Bayati revealed on Sunday a parliamentary movement to overturn the decisions of the Ministerial Council for the Economy regarding the recognition of academic degrees and the suspension of transfers between ministries, arguing that they violate existing laws.
Al-Bayati told Al-Maalouma that “the decisions issued by the Ministerial Council for the Economy included a number of provisions that suspended or amended existing legal texts, including the recognition of academic degrees for initial appointments, the suspension of the recognition of degrees obtained by employees except for those on study leave, as well as the suspension of transfers between certain ministries and the five-year leave of absence.”
He added that “these decisions represent a clear overreach of the legislative authority and a violation of the principle of separation of powers,” explaining that “the Council of Ministers is currently exercising the powers of a caretaker government, and therefore its decisions should be limited to managing daily affairs and providing services, and it does not have the authority to make decisions that fall outside its defined jurisdiction.”
Al-Bayati indicated that "this file has been referred to the Council of Representatives for a legislative decision to repeal the parts that violate the law, given that legislation is of the highest rank and authority, and legislative decisions are binding on all authorities."
He pointed out that "the issuance of such decisions by the Council of Ministers has negative repercussions on public opinion and leads to a loss of public trust in state institutions." End/25 LINK
The Sudanese Government Directs The Formation Of Technical Committees To Study Proposals Supporting The Government's Economic Plans.
Time: 2026/01/19 Reading: 60 times
{Political: Al-Furat News} Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani directed the formation of special technical committees to study all proposals that support the government's economic plans, during his chairmanship of the Ministerial Council for the Economy meeting on Monday.
The Sudanese Media Office stated in a statement received by Al-Furat News that "during the meeting, the topics on the agenda were discussed, especially those related to maximizing resources and reducing expenditures, and the discussion of means and frameworks for reducing expenditures and maximizing state resources in accordance with applicable laws was completed."
The meeting discussed the Council’s recommendation to the Ministry of Oil, which aimed to determine the percentages of support and address the financial situation, in addition to examining proposals submitted by various government agencies regarding reducing spending, as well as discussing support mechanisms provided by the Export Support Fund, adding support through loans, and creating an economic environment that supports the non-oil economy and diversifies resources.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Prime Minister directed the formation of special technical committees to study all the proposals put forward in order to support the government’s plans in this regard. LINK
Between Restoring Rights And International Action: Iraq Faces A Crossroads Of Economic Salvation.
Time: 2026/01/19 Reading: 60 times
{Economic: Al-Furat News} Legal researcher Ali Al-Tamimi confirmed on Monday that recovering smuggled Iraqi funds and international action represent a fundamental approach to addressing the economic crisis the country is going through, noting that there are clear legal and international frameworks that Iraq can rely on in this path.
Al-Tamimi explained in a statement received by Al-Furat News that "there is the 2003 Anti-Money Laundering Convention, which entered into force in 2005, concerning the recovery of laundered funds. Articles (55 and 56) of the Convention outline the process for recovering these funds."
He indicated that Iraq signed the Convention in 2007 under Law No. 35 of 2007, while the value of the laundered funds is estimated at approximately $500 billion. He pointed to the possibility of coordinating with the United Nations, as the Convention is deposited with it under Article 102 of the UN Charter, as well as coordinating with countries in whose banks these funds have been deposited, similar to the experiences of countries such as Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, Egypt, and Tunisia, stressing that the current time is the most appropriate for international action in this direction.
He added, "There are about $65 billion in the US Federal Reserve Bank belonging to the former regime and owned by the Iraqi people," noting that the US president issues an annual executive order to protect these funds from creditors' claims. He stressed that Iraq has the legal right to claim them based on Articles (27 and 28) of the 2008 Iraqi-American Strategic Agreement, which allows Iraq to request economic assistance from the United States, as it is a binding agreement for both parties.
Al-Tamimi explained that “according to Article 50 of the United Nations Charter, countries that are fighting against countries, entities, or organizations placed under Chapter VII may request economic assistance from the Security Council,” noting that Britain and France have announced their readiness to provide economic assistance to Iraq. He pointed out that Iraq fought the ISIS terrorist organization, which is placed under Chapter VII pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 2170.
He pointed out that "Iraq has exited the provisions of Chapter VII after paying the financial obligations with Kuwait amounting to four and a half billion dollars, warning that the continuation of political, security and economic crises may push the Security Council to return Iraq to international trusteeship, which requires serious action in these important directions."
Al-Tamimi stressed that “internal efforts remain important and complementary, but salaries cannot be reduced, delayed, or not disbursed, as they are regulated by applicable laws, including the Civil Service Law and the Salary Scale Law, stressing that state institutions cannot continue without disbursing salaries, which represent the key to the work of employees.”
He concluded by saying that "the current parliament has an important opportunity to direct and make appropriate decisions in this direction, to open all previous files, and to conduct retrospective parliamentary investigations, in order to save the country from international crises and the decline in oil prices, stressing that prevention is better than cure." From... Ragheed LINK