News, Rumors and Opinions Thursday 4-30-2026
KTFA:
Clare: The dollar is a pressure tactic... A US report links the suspension of shipments to the influence of factions in Iraq!
4/29/2026
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies in the United States held Iraqi factions linked to Iran responsible for Washington’s decision to suspend dollar shipments to Baghdad, considering this move a financial and security pressure tool that can be used to push Iraq towards deeper changes in the management of its economy and banking system.
The report explained that the United States had been sending cash payments ranging between $400 and $500 million to Iraq periodically for years, within a mechanism linked to oil revenues, but the US Treasury Department recently halted these shipments.
The report indicated that the decision came in the context of escalating attacks carried out by armed factions using drones and missiles against American targets inside Iraq, including the American embassy in Baghdad, considering that suspending the flow of dollars was “justified,” and that its effectiveness depends on how it is used as a tool of pressure.
He explained that the Iraqi economy is heavily dependent on dollar inflows, so any disruption to these shipments directly impacts the market, leading to increased demand for hard currency, a decline in the value of the dinar, and greater difficulty in importing basic commodities such as food and fuel.
The report noted that part of these funds reaches, through the banking system, entities linked to armed factions, through companies operating in the fields of construction, import, banking and security services, indicating that the problem is not limited to cash flows, but extends to the mechanisms of their distribution.
In this context, the report considered Rafidain Bank, as the government entity through which oil revenues deposited in the US Federal Reserve pass, to be a key link in the distribution of funds within Iraq, including employee salaries. It added that transferring the salaries of some entities to Al-Nahrain Islamic Bank, under pressure from the US Treasury Department, did not solve the problem but merely shifted it to another entity.
He warned that a prolonged dollar shortage could lead to inflation and monetary instability, weakening the Iraqi government's ability to manage the economy and giving factions more room to strengthen their financial and social networks.
The report called on Washington to use this suspension thoughtfully, so that it would press for Iraqi compliance without causing an economic collapse, suggesting linking the resumption of dollar shipments to enhanced security measures around American diplomatic facilities.
He also stressed the need to push Iraq towards reducing reliance on cash and moving towards electronic payment systems, in order to limit illegal activities, calling for an investigation into the activities of Al-Nahrain Islamic Bank for possible involvement in money laundering operations, and the possibility of subjecting it to procedures under “Article 311” of the “Patriot” Act.
In the same context, the report recommended threatening sanctions against government officials if they are found to be involved in fuel smuggling or supporting financial networks linked to factions, in addition to strengthening oversight and external auditing of Al-Rafidain Bank, as it is the main channel for the flow of dollars.
The report concluded by emphasizing that Iraq’s continued access to dollars without strict oversight is no longer an acceptable option, calling for any future financial flows to be linked to transparent procedures that ensure they do not leak to entities outside the official framework. LINK
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Clare: Al-Zaydi forms two teams to write the government program and select the cabinet.
4/29/2026
On Wednesday, Abu Mithaq al-Masari, a member of the Coordination Framework, announced that the Prime Minister-designate had formed two teams to write the government program and select the cabinet, confirming that al-Zaydi had announced the procedure during his visit to the Secretary-General of the Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri.
Al-Masari told Shafaq News Agency that “the assignment of the Coordination Framework to Al-Zidi to form the government is a serious and official assignment, and his visits today to the leaders and commanders of the Coordination Framework confirm his seriousness in expediting the formation of the government.”
For its part, an informed source told Shafaq News Agency that the mechanism for distributing ministries will be based on a specific number of points, with no less than ten seats for service ministries and more than 15 parliamentary seats for sovereign ministries.
The source said that the weight of the independent bodies will be determined in points after the cabinet is completed.
A source within the coordination framework revealed that political and party leaders will hold their first meeting this Wednesday evening with Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zidi to discuss the formation of the new cabinet.
The coordinating framework had agreed, on Tuesday evening, to grant al-Zidi the freedom to choose his cabinet, a day after he announced his nomination for the premiership following the withdrawal of outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from the race for the position. LINK
Courtesy of Dinar Guru: https://www.dinarguru.com/
Frank26 [Iraq boots-on-the-ground report] OMAR: The television news just announced that both Iran and the United States are giving them the green light to the new prime minister. FRANK: It's the United States is the one that put him there. It is Iran that is accepting him...
Reset Intelligence Two paths from here: ⑴ al-Zaidi shields his old bank to keep the parallel route open. The peg holds, Treasury escalates the next bank. ⑵ al-Zaidi cuts Al-Janoob to clear his name with Washington. The parallel breaks, the rate moves first.Which one?
Jeff Nothing is happening in Iraq till this government is done. That's why they even came out a couple weeks ago saying Iraq's 2026 budget will not get approved until the government is formed...We don't have to wait for the prime minister to form his entire cabinet. He just needs to form the majority of his cabinet...and then it can go to a final parliamentary vote.
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New Iraq PM… What It Means For The Dinar
Dinar For Dummies: 4-29-2026
In this video I go over the recent news about the newly nominated Prime Minister of Iraq.