Month: April 2026

ISHM: April 23 – 30, 2026

Key Takeaways: POLITICS: U.S. Announces Bounties on Two Militia Leaders; Businessman Ali Al-Zaidi Named Prime Minister-Designate – Between April 23–27, the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced rewards of up to $10 million each for information on Abu Ala al-Walaie and Hayder al-Gharawi, leaders of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, […]

Iraq Caught in the Middle: The Iran War’s Impact and What Comes Next

A temporary ceasefire in the Iran war has not stabilized Iraq. Instead, it has exposed the country’s structural vulnerability to external conflict and pressure—caught between the United States and Iran, with economic strain, disrupted oil exports, and militia activity amplifying internal fragility.

ISHM: April 9 – 16, 2026

Key Takeaways: POLITICS: Iraq Elects New President in Controversial Vote but Deadlock Over the Next Prime Minister Continues – On April 11, Iraq’s parliament elected Nizar Mohammed Amedi as the country’s next president. Amedi, from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), secured 227 votes—surpassing the required two-thirds majority—in a second round of voting after the […]

ISHM: April 2 – 9, 2026

Key Takeaways: POLITICS: Militias Call for Punitive Measures Against Jordan; PUK Confident of Support Ahead of Contentious Parliament Meeting to Elect President – On April 2, the “Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee,” an umbrella group of armed factions, accused the leaders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE of supporting U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran, and said […]

ISHM: March 26 – April 2, 2026

Key Takeaways: POLITICS: Parliament to Meet April 11 to Elect New President; Militia Threatens Regional Escalation – On March 30, Iraq’s parliament said lawmakers will meet on April 11 to vote on a new president. The decision followed a meeting between the speaker, his deputies, and leaders of parliamentary blocs aimed at breaking the ongoing […]