“Tidbits From TNT” Sunday 3-22-2026

TNT:

Tishwash:  For this reason, dollar trading has stopped in Baghdad.

No exchange rates for the US dollar against the Iraqi dinar were recorded today, Saturday, in the markets of the capital, Baghdad, due to the suspension of trading coinciding with the Eid holiday.

Despite the near-total closure of the markets, some exchange shops continued to operate on a limited basis in various areas of Baghdad, where the selling price of the dollar reached about 155,500 dinars per 100 dollars, while the buying price recorded 154,500 dinars.

In Erbil, the markets had ended their trading last Thursday before the start of the Eid holiday, with prices reaching 154,600 dinars for selling and 154,500 dinars for buying per 100 dollars.  link

Tishwash:  Urgent call to declare an "emergency government" in Iraq

 Former Speaker of Parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, on Saturday called for the declaration of a 45-day emergency government.

Al-Mashhadani said in a post: “I appeal to the parliamentary blocs, the Speaker of Parliament, and his two deputies to hold an extraordinary session and declare an emergency government for 45 days.”

It is worth noting that a source within the coordinating framework that brings together the ruling Shiite political forces in Iraq told Shafaq News Agency last Monday that the coalition leadership agreed to postpone deciding on a prime ministerial candidate until after the end of the ongoing regional war between the United States and Israel against Iran .

The Coordination Framework had officially nominated Maliki on January 24, a move that opened the door to negotiations to form the new government, but the process faltered as disagreements continued over the election of the President of the Republic, the constitutional entitlement that precedes assigning the candidate of the largest bloc to form the government . 

However, al-Maliki’s nomination was met with rejection from some Sunni forces, as well as parties within the Shiite bloc itself, in addition to strong rejection from the American administration, whose president, Donald Trump, threatened at the time that Washington would stop its aid to Iraq if al-Maliki assumed the premiership  link

****************

Tishwash: Iraq declares force majeure on oil fields operated by foreign companies

Iraq has declared a state of “force majeure” on all oil fields developed by foreign oil companies due to the turmoil caused by the US-Israeli-Iranian war.

Reuters quoted three energy officials as saying on Friday that the announcement came after military operations in the region disrupted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, causing most of Iraq's crude oil exports to halt.

The Iraqi Oil Ministry confirmed in a letter dated March 17, seen by Reuters, that the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the repercussions of the war in the region had pushed storage capacity to its limits, noting that international partners were unable to nominate tankers to load crude oil, thus preventing exports.

The ministry explained that it had issued an order to completely halt production in the affected concession areas based on the existing situation, without this measure entailing any compensation under the terms of the contracts.

The ministry stressed that this reduction will be subject to periodic review according to developments in the regional situation, calling on companies to hold urgent talks to agree on basic operations, costs and labor, under the conditions of “force majeure”.

In a related context, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani said that crude production at the Basra Oil Company had decreased from 3.3 million barrels per day to 900,000 barrels per day, after exports from the country’s ports were halted, noting that the quantities produced were being pumped to operate refineries.

These measures come at a time when global energy markets are facing increasing challenges as a result of geopolitical tensions and military escalation in the Middle East, prompting a number of countries to take exceptional measures to ensure the stability of supplies and avoid sharp price fluctuations.  link

Tishwash:  The G7 demands that Iran immediately halt the attacks and threatens to take "necessary measures".

The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations on Saturday called on Iran to immediately and unconditionally halt its "unjustified" attacks, stressing the importance of protecting maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.

A joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the top diplomat of the European Union, read: "We express our support for our partners in the region in the face of the unjustified attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies."

The G7 foreign ministers expressed their readiness to take "necessary measures" to support global energy supplies, adding: "We condemn in the strongest terms the regime's reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure."

These statements come amid an unprecedented escalation by Iran, which in recent weeks has carried out missile and drone attacks on countries in the region in response to Israeli and American attacks.

The escalation also coincides with growing concerns about the threat to international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, raising the likelihood of market disruption and higher energy prices if the conflict widens  link

Mot: Snoring