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 political deadlock over the presidency—a necessary step before naming a prime minister-designate. Parliament had canceled a session planned for March 30 to give the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) time to agree on a joint candidate. KDP officials, however, said on Thursday that the party will likely boycott the April 11 session, as no agreement was in sight. The presidency has traditionally been held by the PUK—a monopoly the KDP is seeking to challenge. The leading contenders are former Environment Minister Nizar Amedi (PUK) and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (KDP). On April 1, the leader of the Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia, Abu Alaa al-Walaie, warned that the current regional conflict could expand to include Syria and Kuwait. Walaie said the use of Kuwaiti territory by U.S. forces to launch attacks against Iran constitutes a “crossing of red lines,” adding that the “Axis of Resistance” would respond under the principle of “unity of arenas.” He also referenced reports of possible movements by Syrian forces toward Lebanon, warning that such a development would be met with reciprocal measures, without providing further details. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Rocket and Drone Attacks Target KRG President and Syrian Bases, Destroy Iraqi Aircraft; American Journalist Kidnapped – Throughout the reporting period, the PMF said dozens of U.S. airstrikes targeted its leaders and bases across several provinces, with the latest wave concentrated in Kirkuk, Anbar, Ninewa, Salah ad-Din, and Babylon. The strikes hit multiple PMF units—including brigades 61, 13, 14, 52, 27, 45, 31, 17, 30, 53, 57, and 58—killing at least nine fighters and two police officers, and wounding many more. Meanwhile, Iran-backed militias continued launching rocket and drone attacks on targets in Baghdad, the Kurdistan Region, and beyond. Notably, a drone strike targeted a residence of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok, while a rocket attack near Baghdad International Airport destroyed an Iraqi Air Force An-32 transport aircraft. Additional drones and rockets struck—or were intercepted near—the Majnoon and West Qurna-1 oil fields in Basra, Balad Air Base in Salah ad-Din, Peshmerga positions in Sulaymaniyah, an oil depot near Erbil, and residential areas in Erbil and Baghdad. In a cross-border incident on March 30, the Syrian army reported that a large number of drones targeted several of its bases near the Iraqi border, adding that most were intercepted. On March 31, unidentified gunmen kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittleson in central Baghdad. Iraqi security forces pursued the kidnappers, who were traveling in multiple vehicles, and apprehended one suspect. The U.S. State Department said the detained individual is affiliated with the Kataib Hezbollah militia. Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad warned that Iran and allied militias may target U.S. interests, including universities with ties to the United States. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Begins Fuel Oil Exports via Syria; Floods Kill Four; Fiscal Pressures Mount – On March 31, dozens of tanker trucks carrying Iraqi fuel oil began crossing into Syria via the al-Waleed border crossing, marking the start of overland petroleum exports through neighboring countries after the war with Iran disrupted shipments through the Gulf. The trucks were headed to the port of Baniyas, where the fuel oil will be loaded onto ships for export. According to Reuters, Iraq’s oil marketing company (SOMO) has signed agreements with four traders to lift an average of 650,000 metric tons of fuel oil per month over three months, with deliveries transported by truck to Syria. Traders are expected to receive discounts ranging from $155 to $170 per ton. Earlier this month, the Oil Ministry said it aims to export up to 200,000 barrels per day of crude and fuel oil by truck to ports in Turkey, Syria, and Jordan to offset the suspension of exports through the Strait of Hormuz. Also on March 31, reports said four people were killed by heavy rainfall that caused widespread flooding across Iraq, displacing more than 7,500 people. The rains have also boosted water levels in rivers, reservoirs, and marshes. In Diyala, increased water flows have enabled the Himreen Dam hydroelectric station to resume power generation for the first time in five years. Also on March 31, a financial advisor to Prime Minister Sudani said the government is working to sustain salary payments through three main strategies as oil revenues decline. These include boosting non-oil revenues through expanded electronic payments, finding alternative export routes for petroleum, and coordinating government spending with central bank policy to use financial reserves to stabilize the economy and maintain public spending. The warning comes as Iraq faces mounting fiscal pressure. The country generated less than $2 billion in oil revenue in March, down from $6.8 billion in February. At current spending levels, the government could run out of funds before June. 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: Parliament to Meet April 11 to Elect New President; Militia Threatens Regional Escalation

On March 29, an appeals court ordered the reinstatement of former al-Muthanna governor Muhannad al-Itabi, five weeks after he had been replaced by the provincial council. According to the ruling, the court determined that the resignation letter used to justify his removal was invalid, as it had not been submitted by al-Itabi himself or by a legally authorized representative.

On March 30, Iraq’s parliamentary leadership announced that the legislature will convene a special session 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 political deadlock over the presidency—a necessary step before naming a prime minister-designate. According to political sources cited by al-Sumaria, parliament had initially been expected to meet on March 30. The session was postponed to April 11 at the request of Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), to allow more time for negotiations with the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the potential agreement on a joint candidate. A KDP member, however, mentioned on Thursday that his party intends to boycott the April 11 meeting as the PUK and KDP are yet to agree on a joint candidate. The KDP official, Wafa Mohammed, suggested that the rival PUK does not have the support of enough lawmakers (two thirds of parliament) to convene the session without the KDP’s cooperation. The presidency has traditionally been held by the PUK—a monopoly the KDP seeks to challenge, arguing that the post should go to the party with the most parliamentary seats, which it holds. The leading contenders are former Environment Minister Nizar Amedi (PUK) and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (KDP). In the meantime, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani continues to lead a caretaker government, four months after Iraq’s parliamentary elections.

On March 30, Muqtada al-Sadr called on his followers and all Iraqis to hold nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, April 4, to protest what he described as “Zionist-American aggression” against Iran and to call for regional peace. He emphasized that the demonstrations must remain peaceful, instructing participants to carry only Iraqi flags and refrain from displaying any other flags or portraits. Sadr also excluded the holy city of Najaf from the planned protests.

On April 1, the leader of the Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia, Abu Alaa al-Walaie, warned that the current regional conflict could expand regionally to include Syria and Kuwait. In a statement, Walaie stressed that the use of Kuwaiti territory by U.S. forces to launch attacks against Iran constitute a “crossing of red lines,” adding that the “Axis of Resistance” would respond under the principle of “unity of arenas.” He also referenced alleged reports of possible movements by the Syrian army toward Lebanon, warning that such a development would be met with reciprocal measures, without offering details. Walaie’s remarks come amid rising tensions along the Syrian-Iraqi border. On March 30, the Syrian army reported that its military positions had come under a large-scale drone attack originating from Iraq, most of which were intercepted by air defenses. 

Sources cited in this section include: al-Sumaria, ISHM archive, Kurdistan24, New Sabah, INA, Paragraph, Arab News. 

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Rocket and Drone Attacks Target KRG President and Syrian Bases, Destroy Iraqi Aircraft; American Journalist Kidnapped

On March 26, the U.S. military launched fresh airstrikes against PMF bases across Iraq. On that day, airstrikes targeted a base for PMF brigade 61 in the Dibis district of Kirkuk province and a base for PMF brigade 13 in the remote town of al-Qaim in Anbar province, wounding at least three PMF fighters. On the following day, March 27, an airstrike targeted a base for Asaib Ahl al-Haq (unspecified brigade number) in al-Aziziyah in Wasit province. Then on Saturday, March 28, the PMF said that three missiles hit its command center for the north and east of the Tigris sectors near the Kirkuk airport, killing four PMF fighters and wounding at least six. Meanwhile, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said two police officers were killed and five were wounded in a U.S. attack that struck their checkpoint (located next to a PMF headquarters) in the western side of Mosul.  Next, on March 29, U.S. strikes targeted two bases for PMF brigade 14 north of Mosul, and a base for PMF brigade 52 in the Tuzkhormatu district of Salah ad-Din province. The attacks continued on Monday, when an airstrike hit a base for PMF brigade 27 near Fallujah in Anbar province. On Tuesday, March 31, new airstrikes targeted bases for PMF brigade 45 in Jurf al-Sakhr, PMF brigade 31 in al-Garma, and PMF brigade 17 in al-Rutba, killing two PMF fighters and wounding at least four. On the same day, the PMF said U.S. Apache gunships attacked bases for PMF brigade 30 in the towns of Bartella and al-Namrud in Ninewa province. Finally, on Thursday, U.S. strikes targeted bases for PMF brigades 53, 14, and 58 in Ninewa, as well as PMF brigade 57 in the Haditha district of Anbar province, killing at least three PMF fighters.

For reference, the PMF brigades targeted in the above strikes include:

• Brigade 13 – Liwa al-Tafuf; shrine-affiliated (Karbala); deployments in Anbar and central Iraq
• Brigade 14 – Liwa Ali al-Akbar; shrine-affiliated (Karbala); active in Ninewa and central-northern Iraq
• Brigade 17 – Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi; associated with the Sadrist current (Saraya al-Salam); deployments vary across central and western Iraq
• Brigade 27 – Liwa Ansar al-Marjaiya; shrine-affiliated (Najaf/Karbala); western Iraq (Anbar)
• Brigade 30 – Liwa Shabak; Iran-aligned local/ethnic (Shabak); Ninewa Plains (Bartella, Hamdaniya)
• Brigade 31 – Kata’ib Ansar al-Hujja; Iran-aligned; central Iraq (Baghdad belts, Anbar)
• Brigade 45 – Kata’ib Hezbollah; Iran-aligned; strong presence in Jurf al-Sakhr and Baghdad belts
• Brigade 52 – Liwa al-Hamza; shrine-affiliated (Karbala/Abbas network); Salah ad-Din and Kirkuk belts
• Brigade 53 – designation varies; mixed/local formations; reported activity in Ninewa
• Brigade 57 – Saraya al-Jihad; affiliated with the Badr Organization; active in Anbar (including Haditha)
• Brigade 58 – Saraya Ansar al-Aqida; Iran-aligned; reported presence in Ninewa and other northern sectors
• Brigade 61 – Kata’ib al-Imam Ali; Iran-aligned faction; active in Kirkuk and Salah ad-Din

Note: PMF brigade numbering and affiliations can vary across sources, and some units operate under broader umbrella formations or have overlapping command structures.

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Iraqi militias operating under the umbrella group known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq continued to launch rocket and drone attacks on various targets in Baghdad, the Kurdistan region, and beyond. On March 28, the group claimed to have launched 41 attacks with rockets and drones during the previous 24 hours. That day, explosive drones targeted a residence of Kurdistan region president Nechirvan Barzai in Duhok, while additional drones struck the perimeter of the Baiji refinery complex and the Karrada area of central Baghdad, not far from the U.S. embassy compound. A third drone crashed in the Majnoon oil field in Basra without detonating. On March 29, an explosive drone struck near a former office of the UN in the city of Sulaymaniyah. In nearby Kirkuk, security forces defused four 107mm rockets that were prepared to launch at military installations in the city. Meanwhile, air defenses shot down a drone that approached the Balad air base in Salah ad-Din province. In a notable incident, a salvo of 122mm rockets struck an Iraqi air force base near Baghdad airport, causing significant damage to an Iraqi AN-32 transport aircraft. On Monday, March 30, the Syrian army reported that a large number of drones targeted several of its bases located near the Iraqi border, saying that most of the drones were shot down. Also on Monday, additional drone attacks targeted the city of Sulaymaniyah and installations near Baghdad airport. More attacks followed on Tuesday, March 31, when additional drones targeted the Balad air base and struck near a logistical support facility for the U.S. embassy near Baghdad airport. There was also another attack with drones launched from Iraq on the Qasrak base in Syria, which hosts U.S. forces. All drones were reportedly intercepted. Elsewhere, a drone crashed in the West Qurna-1 oil field without detonating, while a rocket struck a home in al-Tharthar in central Iraq, also without detonating. In Sulaymaniyah, attacks with three drones and two rockets targeted a base for the Peshmerga forces in the province. Next, on April 1, multiple drones targeted and hit a motor oil warehouse outside Erbil, setting the facility ablaze. Meanwhile, another drone struck the perimeter of Baghdad airport, and the Peshmerga in Sulaymaniyah reported shooting down additional drones that approached their bases on Wednesday. Finally, on April 2, a drone crashed through the ceiling of a crowded coffeeshop in Erbil without causing casualties as the warhead failed to detonate. This brought the number of rockets and drones fired on the Kurdistan region since March 1 to about 600, according to a tally by Rudaw.

On March 29, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad warned that Iran and allied militias in Iraq may conduct attacks against the American universities in Baghdad Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok, as well as other universities that may be considered to have ties to the United States. This comes after Tehran condemned a string of U.S. strikes on Iranian universities and raised the possibility of retaliation against U.S. universities across the region. Heeding the warnings, the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) instructed all universities and educational institutions to suspend in-person classes and resort to remote learning until further notice. On Thursday, the embassy issued a second notification, warning that Iran-backed militias could launch attacks on U.S. interests and U.S.-linked targets in central Baghdad during the next 24 – 48 hours. 

On March 31, unidentified gunmen kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittleson in central Baghdad. Iraqi security forces chased the kidnappers, who were traveling in multiple vehicles, and apprehended one of the perpetrators, the country’s Interior Ministry said. The U.S. State Department said the detained individual is affiliated with the Kataib Hezbollah militia, al-Monitor reported. Kittleson is a freelance journalist with years of experience covering security and political developments in Iraq, including operations during the war with ISIS, for outlets including al-Monitor, the BBC, and Politico.  

On April 1, security sources in Salah ad-Din province said that three municipal workers were wounded when an explosive remnant of war detonated near them while they were repairing powerlines in the Baiji district of the province. 

Sources cited in this section include: Shafaq, Rudaw, Mawazin, Baghdad Today, INA, al-Sumaria, Iraq Observer, Peregraf, Kurdistan24, U.S. embassy Baghdad, the New York Times, Washington Post, PUKMedia, al-Monitor, AP.

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Begins Fuel Oil Exports via Syria; Floods Kill Four; Fiscal Pressures Mount

On March 31, the first convoy of dozens of tanker trucks carrying Iraqi fuel oil began crossing into Syria via the al-Waleed border crossing, according to Syrian and local Iraqi officials in Anbar province. The development marks the commencement of Iraqi petroleum product exports overland through neighboring countries since the war with Iran disrupted regular oil shipments through the Gulf. On Wednesday, the Syrian Petroleum Company reported that a total of 299 tanker trucks had entered Syria from Iraq, heading to the port of Baniyas, where the fuel oil is to be loaded onto ships for export to final destinations. According to a Reuters report, Iraq’s oil marketing company (SOMO) has signed agreements with four traders to lift an average of 650,000 metric tons of fuel oil per month over a three-month period, with deliveries transported by truck to Syria. Under these deals, two traders will each lift 720,000 tons of fuel oil, while the other two will lift 400,000 tons and 90,000 tons, respectively. The fuel will be sourced from multiple Iraqi refineries. Traders are expected to receive discounts ranging from $155 to $170 per ton, according to SOMO documents cited in the report. Iraqi officials have considered prioritizing the export of heavy fuel oil—a byproduct of refining—to reduce stockpiles at domestic refineries and sustain their operations. Earlier this month, the Oil Ministry said that it was considering using tanker trucks to transport up to 200,000 bpd of crude and fuel oil to ports in Turkey, Syria, and Jordan for export in an effort to compensate for the suspension of oil exports through the closed Strait of Hormuz. The volumes contracted by SOMO are equivalent to slightly more than 140,000 barrels per day (bpd) of fuel oil. 

On March 31, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), reported that four people have died as a result of heavy rainfall that produced floods and flash floods in many parts of Iraq between March 25 – 30. The IFRC also noted that 12 people were injured and more than 7,500 were displaced by the floods and flash floods, which affected more than 31,000 people in total. The provinces that were most affected by the heavy rainfall were Anbar, Wasit, Diyala, Duhok, Kirkuk, Sulaymaniyah, Ninewa, Erbil, Muthanna, and Maysan, the report adds. Meanwhile, water experts, government officials, and footage from affected provinces indicated that the heavy rainfall has boosted water levels in Iraq’s rivers, reservoirs, and marshes. Reports citing data from Iraq’s Water Resources Ministry said reserves have reached 15 billion cubic meters (bcm), compared to their low point of just five bcm last summer. In Diyala, the abundance of water has reportedly allowed the hydroelectric station at the Himreen dam to produce power for the first time in five years, while in Duhok, the main dam in the province was reportedly on the verge of overflowing on Thursday. 

On March 31, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority extended the complete closure of the country’s airspace to civilian traffic amid ongoing hostilities involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. The closure will remain in effect at least until Friday, April 3, with further extensions likely. Anticipating protracted hostility and restrictions, the Iraqi government has instructed the Transportation Ministry to study the possibility of reopening limited sectors of the country’s airspace by utilizing alternative safe routes through neighboring Gulf states, according to a ministry spokesman. 

On March 31, a financial advisor to Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani said the government is working to ensure the continued payment of salaries and social welfare benefits through three key strategies, as Iraq grapples with declining oil revenues. The first strategy focuses on maximizing non-oil revenues, with collections supported by expanded use of electronic payment systems to strengthen state-generated income, the advisor, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, explained. The second aims to identify alternative routes to sustain crude oil and petroleum product exports. The third involves adopting a targeted form of quantitative easing, coordinated between monetary and fiscal authorities and backed by sufficient foreign currency reserves to maintain economic stability and ensure uninterrupted public spending. Salih emphasized that sustaining monthly expenditures on wages, salaries, pensions, and social assistance remains a top priority amid ongoing economic challenges and global volatility driven by geopolitical risks. The announcement of the strategy comes as Iraq faces a large budget deficit. Iraq’s top oil marketing official said the country generated less than $2 billion in revenue from limited oil exports in March, down from $6.8 billion in February. At current rates of spending, the Iraqi government is expected to run out of funds before June.  

Sources cited in this section include: Shafaq, al-Ghad, Reuters, BP, ISHM archive, Reliefweb, al-Aalem al-Jadeed, Rudaw, social media, Baghdad Today, al-Sumaria, PUKMedia, INA, Iraq Observer, AP.

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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