News, Rumors and Opinions Saturday 3-14-2026
KTFA:
Clare: Bahaa Al-Araji: Renewing Al-Sudani's contract is an inevitable choice to protect Iraq
3/13/2026 Baghdad Today
The head of the Reconstruction and Development bloc, Bahaa Al-Araji, confirmed today, Friday (March 13, 2026), that deciding to renew the mandate of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani is an inevitable choice to protect Iraq.
Al-Araji said in a tweet on his account on the “X” platform, which was followed by “Baghdad Today”, that “the stability of Iraq’s security and keeping it away from the arenas of conflict is the highest priority that requires us to have a unified stance at this critical stage. There is no room for maneuvering at the expense of the nation’s security.”
He added that "resolving the renewal of Al-Sudani's term has become an urgent necessity dictated by the rapid developments," noting that "with our full respect for the opinion of the opposition minority, we call on them to abide by the decision of the leaders of the Coordination Framework as the umbrella group, and to distance themselves from the media posturing that has become a platform in which certain parties invest to achieve dubious goals that harm the interest of the state." LINK
Clare: Investigation expanded into the case of manipulation of dollar sales at Rafidain Bank
3/12/2026
An official document revealed that the investigation into the manipulation of dollar sales to travelers at the Rafidain Bank outlet inside Baghdad International Airport is ongoing, with additional officials and employees being included in the investigation file .
According to the document issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Finance, which was reviewed by Al-Sa’a Network, “it was decided to include new names of officials and employees in the investigation and to take the necessary legal measures against those involved in the case .”
The document added that "information indicates that investigations are still ongoing to uncover the details of the case and determine the extent of the violations and administrative and legal responsibilities, within the efforts of the regulatory authorities to enhance transparency and prevent any abuses or waste of public funds ."
Earlier, the ministry reopened the investigation into the manipulation of dollar sales to travelers, with the bank summoning about 20 officials and employees for questioning regarding the violations attributed to them .
Official documents also showed that the bank’s inclusion committee sent official invitations to the defendants to attend and record their statements about the case, based on a letter issued by the Ministry of Finance in February 2025 .
Finance Minister Taif Sami had previously decided to suspend the bank's director, Ali Al-Fatlawi, and a number of employees on suspicion of manipulating dollar sales and administrative violations, before the suspension was later lifted and Al-Fatlawi was reinstated to his position after a period .
The resumption of the investigation comes amid growing calls to hold those involved accountable and to enhance integrity in the work of state-owned banks, especially in financial outlets within airports .
It is worth mentioning that Rafidain Bank opened a branch in Baghdad International Airport during 2025 to provide banking services to travelers, including selling dollars at the official rate LINK
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Courtesy of Dinar Guru: https://www.dinarguru.com/
Militia Man Financial unification is locked in. The mechanism is working. The public is calm and the system is ready for the next phase when a REER is prudent.
Jeff Lots of articles are steering away from Maliki as being the top pick for prime minister and turning back towards Sudani. Article: "Maliki sets conditions for withdrawing his candidacy for prime minister while Asa'lb Ahl al-Hal pushes for renewing al-Sudani's term." There's a good handful of these coming out now...The news keeps getting better and better.
Frank26 [Iraq boots-on-the-ground report] FIREFLY: Television shows us about our cash liquidity crisis. They're saying the citizens of Iraq are now starting to take their money out of the banks. They're doing it in large amounts and they're doing it very quickly...There's a few banks here having trouble funding us cash. FRANK: Yeah, you have a serious liquidity issue. Very serious. You need to raise the value of your currency...I don't blame the Iraqi citizens one bit for doing this. There are consequences for [Not raising the value].
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