Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: Government to Impose New Social Media Controls; Parliament Debates New PMF Organization Bill; Vote to Make Halabja a Province Faces New Delays – On March 24, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said it will establish new controls over digital media content and start collecting fees from influencers based on the size of their audiences. The new regulations, which come ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October, are part of an effort that “aims to establish a framework that defines standards and procedures for digital content and advertisements on social media platforms,” according to a CMC spokesman. The regulations set standards that influencers must adhere to, including: “respecting national sovereignty, refraining from broadcasting content that undermines Iraq’s reputation or affects its foreign relations, and supporting state security institutions.” Past efforts by the CMC to establish digital media controls in recent years faced strong criticism from free press advocates who viewed them as an attempt to silence dissent. On March 24, Iraq’s parliament conducted a first reading of a new draft law intended to regulate the structure and functions of the Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC) that is in charge of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) paramilitaries. The new draft appears to replace the PMF service and retirement law the government sent to parliament last month but later recalled after it caused a deadlock between different factions within the Coordination Framework. The new brief bill is meant to replace the original PMC Law No. 40 of 2016. It deals mostly with outlining the basic roles and functions of the PMC leadership and associated offices, without providing much detail. Notably, the bill provides for creating a separate military academy to train PMF officers. Importantly, the new bill completely avoids setting a retirement age for senior PMC officials—an issue that has divided the Coordination Framework leaders. On March 26, parliament failed to convene a session to vote on a bill to recognize Halabja as Iraq’s 19th province. Quorum was not reached for the vote, as Shia parties responded to the Halabja proposal with competing calls to also recognize the disputed districts of Tal-Afar and Tuzkhormatu as independent provinces. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Army and Locals Agree to De-Escalate Following Clashes with YBS in Sinjar – On March 22, Yazidi community leaders and senior army commanders reached an agreement for de-escalation in Sinjar after days of tensions in the disputed district sparked by clashes between army soldiers and militants from the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS). During the clashes, at least four army soldiers and two YBS fighters were injured, and the army arrested five YBS fighters on charges of abducting a civilian. The YBS denied the charges as “baseless allegations,” while YBS supporters organized demonstrations and set up a protest encampment in the town center to demand the release of the captured YBS members. The de-escalation deal provides for ending the protest in exchange for withdrawing army reinforcements that had been deployed to the town center. In other developments, on March 24, Iraqi authorities arrested four Syrian nationals in central Baghdad on charges of using social media to “promote and glorify” al-Nusra Front and other groups that Iraq regards as terrorist entities. On March 26, an improvised explosive device detonated outside the home of an Iraqi judge in Maysan province. On March 27, an explosive remnant of war detonated amidst scrap metal, killing a laborer in Wasit province. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Acknowledges Iran’s Use of Fake Documents in Oil Smuggling; Government Ratifies Deal with BP to Develop Kirkuk Oil – On March 23, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdulghani acknowledged that Iranian oil tankers have been using forged Iraqi documents to evade U.S. sanctions, adding that Iraq has informed the U.S. about the issue. The remarks came days after the Iraqi navy seized a transport ship with an Iranian captain on suspicion that it was engaged in fuel smuggling inside Iraqi territorial water. According to Abdulghani, Baghdad has received “verbal inquiries about oil tankers being detained in the Gulf by U.S. naval forces carrying Iraqi shipping manifests…It turned out that these tankers were Iranian … and were using forged Iraqi documents.” On March 26, giant oil company BP said it has received “final government ratification” for its agreement with Iraq’s North Oil and North Gas Companies for the redevelopment of four oil fields in Kirkuk. This agreement, whose contractual details were formulated earlier this year, covers the Avana and Baba domes of the Kirkuk oil field, as well as the nearby oil fields of Khabbaz, Jambur, and Bai Hassan. The deal aims to increase Kirkuk’s oil output to 420,000 barrels per day (bpd), capture 400 million cubic feet per day of natural gas, and build a 400MW power plant. On March 24, Iraq’s Border Ports Commission said the TIR (or International Road Transport) system will become active in Iraq on April 1, promising an overland transit route between Europe and the Gulf that’s faster and cheaper than the Red Sea route. On March 27, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said that crude oil exports during February averaged 3.39 million bpd, about 60,000 bpd more than in January. more…

For more background on most of the institutions, key actors, political parties, and locations mentioned in our takeaways or in the stories that follow, see the ISHM Reference Guide.

POLITICS: Government to Impose New Social Media Controls; Parliament Debates New PMF Organization Bill; Vote to Make Halabja a Province Faces New Delays

On March 23, the provincial council in Diyala voted to remove its chairman, Omar al-Karwi. The vote, passed by 11 of the council’s 15 members, reportedly took place after a contentious session during which Karwi was questioned by fellow council members over allegations of corruption and abuse of office. On the same day, the council elected Nizar al-Lihaibi of the Taqaddum party of Mohammed al-Halbousi to replace Karwi, who’s from the rival Siyada party of Khamis al-Khanjar. The Court of Administrative Law, however, issued an order on March 25 to suspend Karwi’s removal until it can look into an objection filed by the ousted chairman.

On March 24, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that it has begun the process of updating voter records ahead of the country’s next parliamentary election, scheduled for October 2025. For a period of 30 days, new first-time voters–estimated at about a million voters born in 2007–will be able to register, and existing voters will have the chance to update their addresses and make any needed corrections. A total of 1,079 centers have been set up to handle the process nationwide, according to IHEC spokeswoman Jumana al-Ghalai.

On March 24, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said it will establish new guidelines for digital media and start collecting fees from social media influencers in a manner commensurate with the size of their audiences. The new regulations, which come ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October, are part of an effort that “aims to establish a framework that defines standards and procedures for digital content and advertisements on social media platforms,” according to CMC spokesman, Haider al-Allaq. The rules will apply to “all bloggers, influencers, and public figures who enjoy wide followings in the media or on social networks,” and is part of a government policy to “ensure transparency and credibility, and to protect society from misleading advertisements and unethical practices.” According to Allaq, the regulations sets a set of standards that influencers must adhere to, including: “respecting national sovereignty, refraining from broadcasting content that undermines Iraq’s reputation or affects its foreign relations, supporting state security institutions…preventing incitement to violence and religious or ethnic discord…and ensuring the right of reply for individuals harmed by advertisements or published content.” The fees imposed by the CMC are based on the number of followers instead of actual revenue, if any, generated by the influencers. The rate ranges from IQD 250,000 per year for content creators with 100,000 – 500,000 followers to IQD 1,000,000 per year for those with more than five million followers. The U.S. dollar is equal to IQD 1,490 on the market. Past efforts by the CMC to establish digital media controls in recent years faced strong criticism from free press advocates who viewed them as an attempt to silence dissent.  

On March 24, the Iraqi parliament conducted a first reading of a new draft law intended to regulate the structure and functions of the Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC) that is in charge of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) paramilitaries. The new draft, posted on parliament’s website, appears to replace the draft law on PMF service and retirement the government had sent to parliament last month but had to recall after it caused deadlock between different factions within the Coordination Framework. The new brief bill is meant to replace the original PMC Law No. 40 of 2016. It deals mostly with outlining the basic roles and functions of the PMC leadership and associated offices, as well as the qualifications required in senior appointments, without going into much detail. Notably, the bill provides for creating a separate military academy to train PMF officers. Importantly, the new bill completely avoids the issue of setting a retirement age for senior PMC officials. This point has been at the center of disagreements over the previous bill as it could lead to the possible departure of PMC chairman Falih al-Fayyadh. Senior CF leaders have reportedly been divided on the issue, with one camp led by Hadi al-Amiri described as keen on allowing Fayyadh to remain in office, and another camp led by Qais al-Khazali and Nouri al-Maliki that prefer getting rid of the current chairman.

On March 26, parliament failed to convene a meeting during which the legislature was scheduled to resume discussions of a new draft of the Popular Mobilization Commission law and vote on a bill to recognize Halabja as Iraq’s 19th province. Quorum could not be achieved for the planned Wednesday session as the Halabja vote was met with competing calls from Shia parties to also recognize the disputed districts of Tal-Afar and Tuzkhormatu as independent provinces. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which has championed the Halabja province project, said it will boycott future parliament meetings until the vote is put back on the agenda.   

Sources cited in this section include: al-Sumaria, Baghdad Today, al-Hurra, INA, ISHM archive, Ultra Iraq, Shafaq, Iraq’s parliament, al-Aalem, PUKMedia. 

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Army and Locals Agree to De-Escalate Following Clashes with YBS in Sinjar

On March 22, Iraqi military sources said that an agreement has been reached between Yazidi community leaders and senior army commanders for de-escalation in Sinjar. Tensions have been high in the disputed district after army soldiers clashed with militants from the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS) and arrested five of them on charges of abducting a civilian. At least four army soldiers and two YBS fighters were also injured. The YBS denied the charges “baseless allegations,” while YBS supporters organized demonstrations and set up a protest encampment in the town center to demand the release of the captured YBS members. The de-escalation deal, according to the source, provides for ending the protest in exchange for withdrawing army reinforcements that had been deployed to the town center. The report did not provide an update about the status of the detained YBS fighters.      

On March 24, security sources in Baghdad said that Iraqi authorities arrested four Syrian nationals in central Baghdad on charges of using social media to “promote and glorify” al-Nusra Front and other groups designated as terrorist entities in Iraq. The four Syrians were sent to the specialized courts for prosecution, the sources added. The arrests come amid reports of an increased crackdown on Syrians suspected of militant ties or violating residency rules following the deadly violence that struck coastal towns in Syria in recent weeks. Iraqi security authorities, however, have affirmed this week that they had no intention to target Syrians for deportation outside of legal frameworks.  

On March 26, security sources in Maysan province said that an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated outside the home of an Iraqi judge in al-Mualimeen neighborhood of Amara, the provincial capital. The explosion caused significant damage to the targeted building and nearby structures but there were no reports of casualties.

On March 27, security sources in Wasit province said that an explosive remnant of war, believed to be an old mortar round, detonated in the town of al-Battar, northeast of al-Kut. The explosion killed a young man processing scrap metal that contained the device. 

Sources cited in this section include: Shafaq, ISHM archive, Iraq Observer, al-Sumaria.

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Acknowledges Iran’s Use of Fake Documents in Oil Smuggling; Government Ratifies Deal with BP to Develop Kirkuk Oil

On March 23, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdulghani told the state news agency that Iranian oil tankers have been using forged Iraqi documents to evade U.S. sanctions, adding that Iraq has informed the American side about the issue. The remarks came days after the Iraqi navy seized a transport ship with an Iranian captain on suspicion that it was engaged in fuel smuggling inside Iraqi territorial water. According to Abdulghani, Baghdad has received “verbal inquiries about oil tankers being detained in the Gulf by U.S. naval forces carrying Iraqi shipping manifests…It turned out that these tankers were Iranian … and were using forged Iraqi documents.” In his remarks, the Iraqi minister affirmed that SOMO, the state oil marketing organization, sells Iraqi crude oil only to refinery owners and does not deal with oil trading firms, asserting that the marketing arm “operates with full transparency and has committed no wrongdoing in the oil export process.”

On March 24, Iraq’s Border Ports Commission announced that the TIR (or International Road Transport) system will become active in Iraq starting April 1, 2025. The TIR system is a global customs transit system designed to facilitate international road transport by allowing goods to move across borders without immediate payment of duty. A statement by the commission said the system is an important component for Iraq’s planned Development Road project and will offer an effective land route linking Asia and the Gulf with Turkey and Europe. Testing operations demonstrated that cargo can move to Turkey’s Mersin port on the Mediterranean to the Gulf in under a week, about half the minimum required for transit through the Red Sea route, the statement added. In related news this week, the Iraqi government decided to establish a special company funded through the Iraqi Development Fund to manage the Development Road project.

On March 25, the Iraqi government announced that all of next week will be a holiday in observance of Eid al-Fitr. The three-day Eid al-Fitr is expected to begin on Sunday or Monday (March 30 or 31) due to differences between the Sunni and Shia Muslim lunar calendars.

On March 26, giant oil company bp said it has received “final government ratification” for its agreement with Iraq’s North Oil and North Gas Companies for the redevelopment of four oil fields in Kirkuk. This agreement, whose contractual details were formulated earlier this year, covers the Avana and Baba domes of the Kirkuk oil field, as well as the nearby oil fields of Khabbaz, Jambur, and Bai Hassan. An Iraqi government statement said the development will aim to increase oil output from the fields to 420,000 barrels per day (bpd) bpd of oil. The agreement also provides for capturing 400 million cubic feet per day of associated natural gas from these fields, the expansion of natural gas processing facilities at North Gas Company, and construction of a power plant with a capacity of 400 megawatts, the statement added. According to bp, the company’s financial compensation “will be linked to incremental production volumes, price and costs.” The company will also be allowed “to book a share of production and reserves proportionate to the fees it earns for helping to increase production,” the bp announcement added. 

On March 27, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said that crude oil exports during February totaled more than 95.14 million barrels, for an average of 3.39 million bpd, which is about 60,000 bpd above exports in January. In its statement, the Ministry of Oil neglected to mention the total revenue generated by the February exports and the average price at which the oil was sold. Nearly all of the oil produced came from fields in southern and central Iraq and was exported through the ports of Basra, while small amounts averaging approximately 15,000 bpd were exported by trucks to Jordan. Exports by pipeline from the northern fields in Kirkuk, as well as fields under the control of the Kurdistan regional government, remained suspended. 

Sources cited in this section include: INA, ISHM archive, Reuters, Iraqi PM’s office, bp, al-Sumaria, Iraq’s Oil Ministry. 

Derived from firsthand accounts and Iraq-based Arabic and Kurdish news sources, the Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor is a free publication of the Enabling Peace in Iraq Center.

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