TNT:
Tishwash: Voting on 9 ministries next week… Will the deadlock over the security ministries be resolved?
MP Mohammed Hadi revealed on Thursday that the Parliament is expected to vote on nine ministerial posts next week, noting that some minor disagreements remain regarding several ministries, particularly the security ministries.
Hadi told the Information Agency, “The Parliament will vote next week on nine ministries as part of the process of completing the cabinet,” adding that “political negotiations are ongoing to resolve the remaining differences.”
He further stated that “the existing disagreements regarding some ministries, including the security ministries, are still minor and can be overcome through dialogue and understanding among the political forces,” emphasizing that there is a move to finalize the process and not leave the ministries vacant for an extended period.
He pointed out that “completing the cabinet is essential for the government to proceed with its work and implement its program, especially given the issues and challenges that require qualified ministers at the helm of the relevant ministries,” adding that “the anticipated vote will be an important step towards finalizing the government formation process.” link
Tishwash: The Popular Mobilization Forces call for celebrations to mark the withdrawal of US forces at the end of next month.
The media director of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Muhannad al-Aqabi, called on Thursday for celebrations of the withdrawal of US forces at the end of the month, considering it a “great achievement” for the government, while noting the continuation of disengagement procedures, especially with Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Saraya al-Sham.
Al-Aqabi said during a press conference, which was attended by a correspondent from Shafaq News Agency, that “the government has accomplished a great feat in achieving Iraqi Sovereignty Day on September 30,” adding, “The withdrawal of American forces should be celebrated at the end of September.”
He added that the Popular Mobilization Forces continue to perform their duties, noting the implementation of several activities in the Karbala and Najaf deserts, which included dismantling remnants of the “ISIS” organization in the Makhoul Mountains.
Al-Aqabi stressed that the Popular Mobilization Forces are performing their duties “to the fullest extent”.
Regarding the disengagement procedures, Al-Aqabi said that they are still ongoing, “especially with Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and Saraya al-Sham.”
This comes as part of a process launched by the Iraqi government to restrict weapons to the state and end the connection of armed formations with political parties and entities, after Muqtada al-Sadr announced the disassociation of the “Peace Brigades” from the Shiite national movement and their integration into state institutions, before “Asaib Ahl al-Haq” and “Kataib al-Imam Ali” announced similar steps that included forming committees to inventory individuals, weapons and vehicles and regulate their connection with official institutions.
The file still faces reservations from other factions, most notably Kataib Hezbollah, which refuses to hand over its weapons under American pressure. link
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Tishwash: American newspaper: The economic battle between Washington and Tehran has moved to Baghdad
The American newspaper, The Christian Science Monitor, announced today, Thursday (August 27, 2026), that the economic battle between the United States and Iran has effectively moved to Iraq after the UAE halted all its economic dealings with Iran.
The newspaper, as translated by (Baghdad Today), said that the UAE’s suspension of its financial dealings with Iran as a result of the recent US sanctions “has moved the economic battle between the United States and Iran to Iraq,” as it described it.
She continued, “Iraq now represents the only remaining economic lifeline for Iran, as the United States has detected entities within Iraq ‘converting millions of dollars into digital currency in preparation for transferring it to Iran,’ stressing that Washington will have to deal with the money smuggling network from within Iraq to Iran in order to fully impose its economic blockade on Tehran.”
The newspaper concluded its report by noting that the United States is aware that economic sanctions it might impose on Iraq to try to curb the influence of Iranian-affiliated economic networks within Iraq “will not achieve the desired result given the reluctance of Iraqis to use the banking system,” as it described it link
Tishwash: How will the decline in foreign currency reserves affect the financial and economic situation in Iraq?
The US-Iran war and the repercussions of closing the Strait of Hormuz caused a decline in Iraq’s cash reserves, which decreased by about 30% due to the decline in Iraqi financial revenues after most oil exports stopped .
The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Nizar Nasser, announced that Iraq’s cash reserves have decreased by about 30 billion US dollars as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the economic consequences of the US-Iranian war .
Nasser said during a meeting with the parliamentary finance committee: “Iraq’s cash reserves at the Central Bank have decreased since the beginning of this year from $109 billion to only about $77.5 billion, a loss of $31.5 billion.” He pointed out that “most of the reserves that were spent were directed towards paying employee salaries.”
The decline in cash reserves has raised concerns among broad segments of Iraqis, especially employees, who fear that their salaries and financial entitlements will be affected by this decline .
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament Mahmoud Al-Shammari warned of a severe financial crisis that the country may face as a result of the decline in the level of Iraqi cash reserves .
Al-Shammari said in a press statement followed by “Al-Sa’a”: “The decrease in the percentage of cash reserves will have dire economic consequences for the country’s economy,” indicating that “the continuation of current economic policies without real solutions may increase the financial pressures facing the state.”
He pointed out that “the heavy reliance on oil has made the Iraqi economy vulnerable to fluctuations in global markets and crude oil prices,” stressing “the need for the state to diversify the sources of the economy and not rely on oil as the main source of revenues .”
Economists are divided on the impact of the decline in Iraq’s monetary reserves on the overall financial and economic situation in the country. Some believe that this decline is normal and will not affect the financial situation, while others see it as a dangerous precedent, as it will severely deplete the monetary cover structure .
Financial and banking expert Mustafa Hantoush confirmed that the current state of cash reserves at the Central Bank of Iraq does not raise major concerns, despite the difficult conditions Iraq is facing due to declining financial revenues .
Hantoush told Al-Sa’a Network: “The Iraqi cash reserve was around $95 billion at the start of the crisis and war in the region, but it has declined to $79 billion at the present time,” explaining that “this decline is due to the Iraqi Central Bank adopting the coverage of financial transfers related to foreign trade on the one hand, and securing the salaries of employees that are provided to the government in the form of debt on the other hand .”
Hantoush pointed out that “this decline in reserves in itself does not pose a threat to the financial and economic situation, despite the seriousness of the general conditions resulting from the decline in oil exports and the decline in financial revenues,” noting that “the current financial policy is good and is proceeding correctly in overcoming the crisis that the country is facing economically .”
Economic expert Abdul Rahman Al-Mashhadani asserts that the decline or rise of monetary reserves is unrelated to the strength of countries’ economies, noting that the decline in Iraqi reserves does not mean entering a major financial crisis or the collapse of the value of the local currency .
Al-Mashhadani told Al-Sa’a Network: “The decline in the Iraqi Central Bank’s reserves is normal and has been expected for some time, due to the Central Bank’s commitment to financing the private sector’s foreign imports, which range between 4-5 billion dollars per month .”
He added that “this decline is expected because the Central Bank of Iraq receives small amounts of dollars, perhaps no more than one billion dollars per month, due to the decline in financial revenues,” noting that “there is a deficit between what the Central Bank provides in amounts to cover foreign trade and what it receives in revenues, and this deficit is estimated at 3 billion dollars per month, and therefore it is natural for reserves to decrease from 98 billion dollars to 78 billion dollars during the past five months .”
Al-Mashhadani predicted “the continued decline in cash reserves as long as the current crisis continues and financial revenues decline, and as long as the Central Bank finances foreign trade, which is important to continue considering that the Iraqi market depends on imports from abroad by 80% .”
Al-Mashhadani praised the performance of the Central Bank of Iraq in dealing with the current crisis, stressing that the current situation and the decline in reserves does not mean entering into a serious financial and economic crisis, and that this decline will not affect the economic strength or the value of the Iraqi currency. He explained that the main objective of the Central Bank’s reserves is to address the imbalance in the balance of payments related to foreign trade, defend the exchange rate, and achieve economic stability .
Al-Mashhadani noted that “the problem that caused the decline in the cash reserve is not limited to financing salaries or covering foreign trade, but includes Iraq’s almost complete dependence on imports to secure its needs, and its lack of dependence on Iraqi industrial or agricultural products, which it is forced to import, and thus pay sums of money from the reserve to secure them,” pointing out that “the difference in this area between Iraq and Iran, which is facing a siege and sanctions, but at the same time depends by 90% on its agricultural and industrial products, unlike Iraq, which depends on it by importing from abroad .”
On the other hand, economic analyst Omar Al-Halbousi believes that the decline in cash reserves indicates a serious financial and monetary situation, especially since it did not come suddenly, but rather as a result of the accumulation of major economic problems, including the disruption of productive sectors such as agriculture and industry, and the dependence on oil, whose export outlets have not been diversified by successive governments .
Al-Halbousi told Al-Sa’a Network: “The 30% decline in the cash reserve indicates a severe structural depletion of the cash cover and confirms the existence of an imbalance between oil revenues and government spending.” He explained that “this imbalance is due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which led to a decline in oil imports, prompting the government to increase financial withdrawals to finance operational expenses and salaries, which led to the depletion of the cash reserve .”
He noted that “many specialists confirmed two years ago that Iraq would reach a stage of erosion of its cash reserves due to the flawed structural framework of the economy and the lack of diversification of economic sources in an environment witnessing influential conflicts that put rentier states in a predicament that pushes them towards eroding their reserves and entering a dangerous tunnel of collapse .”
Al-Halbousi continued: “The decline poses a serious and direct threat to economic and financial stability and weakens the country’s ability to cope with external shocks, in addition to the negative impact and limitation of the Central Bank’s ability to intervene to maintain monetary balance .”
He explained that “this decline puts pressure on the value of the Iraqi dinar against the dollar. When the size of the cash reserve decreases, the Central Bank’s ability to inject sufficient dollar liquidity to control supply and demand weakens. This opens the door to widening the gap between the official price and the parallel price, which exacerbates the crisis and creates sharp upward pressures that push towards reducing the value of the dinar to avoid depleting what remains of the cash reserves, which will be followed by a wave of inflation that affects the purchasing power of citizens .”
Data from the Central Bank of Iraq showed that Iraq’s foreign reserves fell to $86 billion at the end of last June, a decrease of $11 billion, or 11.6%, compared to the end of 2025, when they stood at $97.432 billion .
According to the data, foreign reserves declined during the first months of 2026, after rising to $101.082 billion in January, then rising to $102.131 billion in February, then declining to $100.341 billion in March, then $97.809 billion in April, $93.673 billion in May, reaching $86.175 billion at the end of June .
This decline was also reflected in the value of foreign reserves in Iraqi dinars, as they decreased from 126.661 trillion dinars at the end of 2025 to 112.027 trillion dinars at the end of June 2026, a decrease of 14.634 trillion dinars, or 11.6 %.
Regarding gold, the data showed a decrease in its value from 31.488 trillion dinars at the end of 2025 to 29.415 trillion dinars at the end of June 2026, a decrease of 2.073 trillion dinars, or 6.6 %.
Investments within reserves also declined from 93.266 trillion dinars at the end of 2025 to 81.998 trillion dinars at the end of June 2026, a decrease of 11.268 trillion dinars, or 12.1 %.
As for the cash reserves in the vaults of the Central Bank of Iraq, they decreased from 1.907 trillion dinars at the end of 2025 to 614 billion dinars at the end of June 2026, a decrease of 1.293 trillion dinars, or about 67.8 link
