Sunday Iraq News Posted by Tishwash at TNT 8-2-2026

‍ TNT:

Tishwash:  US forces begin withdrawal from military compound in Erbil

The Monitor website revealed that the US military has begun withdrawing its remaining forces from the military complex near Erbil International Airport in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Al-Monitor, citing informed sources, reported that "the US military has begun withdrawing its remaining forces from the military complex near Erbil International Airport in the Kurdistan Region, after dismantling and redeploying Patriot air defense systems."

According to the sources, "the troop reduction process began last week, and the process is continuing in line with the United States' commitment to complete its withdrawal from Iraq by the agreed deadline with Baghdad on September 30."  link

Tishwash:  Al-Zaydi chairs a meeting dedicated to approving the final version of the government program.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zubaidi chaired a meeting on Saturday dedicated to reviewing and approving the final draft of the government program.

The Prime Minister's Media Office stated in a press release received by Al-Ghad Press that "the Prime Minister chaired a meeting on Saturday dedicated to reviewing and approving the final draft of the government program, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers and a number of relevant advisors."

The statement added that "the meeting included a comprehensive review of the program's axes and priorities, and a discussion of final observations to ensure the integration of visions and objectives, in preparation for its final approval and submission to the Council of Representatives, reflecting the government's commitment to implementing its program, achieving reforms, accelerating the pace of development, and improving the level of services provided to citizens." link

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Tishwash:  Al-Fahdawi: All blocs agree on finalizing the cabinet formation.

 Member of the United Anbar Alliance, Muhammad al-Fahdawi, confirmed that there is an agreement between the political blocs to expedite the resolution of al-Zidi’s ministerial cabinet during this month, noting that everyone agrees to pass the cabinet and the remaining positions despite the existence of some disagreements between the political blocs.

Al-Fahdawi told Al-Maalouma, “The data on the ground and what resulted from the meeting of the coordination framework have given the green light to hold a parliamentary session at the beginning of August in order to decide on the ministerial cabinet.”

He added that "everyone is still in agreement on what was agreed upon in previous meetings regarding the government cabinet, despite some disagreements, but it is possible to ease the atmosphere and resolve the disagreements to ensure the passage of the remainder of Al-Zaidi's cabinet."

He explained that "Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is pressing and emphasizing the importance of finalizing and completing the cabinet in order for his government to succeed by securing votes on the remaining positions so that there can be a fully empowered and legitimate government." link

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Tishwash:  An economic expert says: Iraq has entered a phase of financial hardship, and radical reforms have become an urgent necessity.

Economic expert Ziad Al-Hashemi confirmed that Iraq has officially entered a phase of "financial hardship," noting that the government is facing complex financial challenges at a time when citizens and employees are waiting for their financial entitlements to be disbursed.

Al-Hashemi explained that the essence of the crisis is not related to the size of the available dollar reserves, but rather to the way public revenues and government spending are managed, indicating that a large part of the oil revenues is depleted before reaching the state treasury as a result of corruption and various financial obligations, while the priority of meeting the needs of employees and basic services is declining.

He added that the current crisis is not just a result of the drop in oil prices, but rather the result of accumulated problems that have lasted for years due to uncontrolled spending and mismanagement of financial resources.

He called for the adoption of a comprehensive reform package that includes reducing waste in public spending, controlling the payroll, combating cases of fictitious employment, recovering looted funds, dismantling economic offices, as well as developing non-oil revenues and strengthening alternative state resources.

 Al-Hashemi stressed that financial reserves, despite their importance, will not be able to protect the Iraqi economy in the long term unless genuine financial and administrative reforms are implemented that address the structural causes of the crisis and establish the sustainability of public resources.  link

Tishwash:  The Iraqi market is attracting the attention of the American private sector.

The visit of Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi and his accompanying delegation to Washington confirmed that there is a clear shift in the nature of the relationship between the two countries. After the previous security and military cooperation between Baghdad and Washington, the recent visit led to a shift in that relationship from focusing on security and military files to building a long-term economic and investment partnership based on common interests and promoting sustainable development.

Experts who accompanied the Iraqi delegation during the Washington visit confirm that American companies view the Iraqi market as a promising market and are eager to invest in various productive sectors. 

Major American companies

Kamil Abdullah Al-Hamdani, a member of the Iraqi delegation participating in the Washington meetings and representative of the private sector, stated that the official visit to the United States achieved important results in terms of strengthening bilateral economic partnerships and opening direct communication channels with major American and international companies, noting that the delegation held a series of intensive meetings in Boston and other American cities. 

Others were included in the visit.

 Government will  Al-Hamdani told Al-Sabah newspaper that the meetings were characterized by clarity and transparency, and witnessed intensive dialogues with representatives of companies and economic institutions. This contributed to presenting a realistic picture of the investment environment in Iraq and the economic reforms being implemented by the government. He emphasized that the delegation sensed a genuine desire among many American companies to enter the Iraqi market and invest in various sectors, a desire reinforced by the government's will, led by the Prime Minister, to provide An attractive environment for investment.

He explained that the agreements and memoranda of understanding signed during the visit were not merely protocol-based, but were formulated on practical foundations that make them implementable and establish long-term partnerships, and that the American Chamber of Commerce expressed a clear conviction in the feasibility of working in Iraq in light of the stability and economic reforms it is witnessing.

Transfer of global expertise

Al-Hamdani stated that the delegation did not limit itself to holding economic meetings, but also reviewed the latest experiences in the fields of technology, industry, innovation and business management, with the aim of transferring global expertise to Iraq and benefiting from it in supporting the private sector and enhancing the economic development process, stressing that the next stage requires translating the outcomes of the visit into projects and investments that contribute to diversifying the economy and creating new job opportunities.

 Project financing programs

The head of the Iraqi Economic Council, Ibrahim al-Baghdadi, said: On the economic and financial side, the Prime Minister held a meeting with the Executive Director of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and also met with the President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, and the President of the International Finance Corporation, Mukhtar Diop, in the presence of the Minister of Finance, the Governor of the Central Bank, and a number of senior Iraqi officials, where they discussed project financing programs, financial and banking reform, developing the investment environment, and strengthening cooperation with international financial institutions.

He added that the most important part of the visit was the meeting with the CEOs of major American companies, as part of the work of the American Chamber of Commerce conference in Washington, including GE Vernova, Google, HKN, Vantive and others, where the Iraqi side presented promising investment opportunities in the energy, electricity, industry and technology sectors, stressing the government’s readiness to provide the appropriate environment for investors.

 Encouraging joint investments

In support of the private sector, Al-Baghdadi noted that the Iraqi delegation participated in the ceremony announcing the establishment of the American-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce, headed by businessman Ammar Shaker Al-Khafaji, which represents a new platform to enhance relations between businessmen in the two countries and encourage joint investments. He pointed out that the Prime Minister met with a number of Iraqi businessmen and the Iraqi community in the United States and the importance of this meeting, and listened to their opinions and suggestions regarding enhancing the contribution of Iraqi talents to development projects within Iraq.

 Providing financial cover

For his part, the head of the Association of Iraqi Private Banks, Wadih Al-Hanzal, explained that the strategic memorandum of understanding signed in the American capital, Washington, with the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), on the sidelines of the visit of the Prime Minister, Mr. Ali Al-Zaidi, aims primarily to provide the necessary financial and technical cover to solve the electricity crisis in Iraq through the gateway of sustainable development.

He stated that the core objective of this partnership is to provide the necessary funding to support the construction of advanced power plants that rely entirely on solar energy, as well as to provide financial facilities for converting homes to operate on clean energy systems.

He explained that “directing bank financing towards these projects will contribute directly and effectively to finding radical solutions to the problem of electricity shortages, and relieving the great pressure on the national grid, which will positively impact the lives of citizens and sectors.” All economic sectors.

American companies and investors

For his part, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Khudairi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Khudairi Group and an expatriate economist in the United States, who participated in the Washington meetings, said: The visit achieved positive results in terms of communication with the American business community, and the presence of the Prime Minister and the Iraqi delegation contributed to attracting the attention of American companies and investors, especially with the broad participation of major companies and economic institutions.

Al-Khudairi said that the visit could be described as successful because it presented a different image of Iraq as a promising market for investment, and that the meetings held with representatives of American companies revealed an increasing interest in entering the Iraqi market, especially in the energy, infrastructure and services sectors.

joint projects

He noted that the Houston station, known globally as the “Energy City,” was one of the most prominent stops on the visit, as it witnessed intensive meetings with companies specializing in oil, gas and energy, which sent positive messages about the availability of real job opportunities and great potential for implementing joint projects within Iraq.

Al-Khudairi explained that the Al-Khudairi Group participated in all the meetings held with American companies, during which a number of memoranda of understanding were signed, which he described as good, stressing that these memoranda represent a first step towards turning them into investment and implementation contracts during the next stage, after completing the technical and legal aspects.

American Chamber of Commerce

Al-Khudairi stated that he participated in the expanded business conference organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., in the presence of the Prime Minister and a number of Iraqi ministers and officials, including the Ministers of Oil, Electricity, Finance and Foreign Affairs, along with the Chairman of the Iraqi Trade Bank, the Director of Baghdad Bank, the Director General of Basra Oil Company, as well as representatives of major American companies, financial and investment institutions and industrial and technological sectors.

Economic reform programs

The conference witnessed extensive discussions that addressed ways to enhance the economic partnership between Iraq and the United States, reviewing available investment opportunities, supporting economic, financial and banking reform programs, in addition to developing the business environment in line with the requirements of international investors and enhancing Iraq’s ability to attract capital.

Al-Khudairi emphasized that the next phase requires following up on the outcomes of the meetings and translating the understandings into practical agreements. He stressed that the success of any economic visit is measured by the resulting projects, job opportunities, and technology transfer, which is what the Iraqi government, in cooperation with the national private sector and international partners, is striving for. The visit yielded tangible results, including the signing of a large number of agreements and memoranda of understanding. The most prominent of these were agreements in the oil and electricity sectors, with projects exceeding 30,000 megawatts, most notably the agreement with GE Vernova, in addition to strategic projects for developing the energy sector.

The agreements also included the rehabilitation and operation of the Basra-Haditha-Banias pipeline with a capacity of one million barrels per day, and the Basra-Haditha-Ceyhan pipeline with a capacity of 750,000 barrels per day, which contributes to raising Iraq’s export capacity to more than two million additional barrels per day, as well as diversifying oil export outlets and reducing dependence on a single outlet, which enhances Iraq’s economic security in light of the geopolitical challenges facing the region.  link