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 Jordan should be specifically penalized for allegedly serving as a launch point for attacks targeting PMF fighters and Iraqi security forces. The group called for closing the land border crossing with Jordan and halting Iraqi oil supplies. It also urged that Qatar’s interests not be targeted—excluding U.S. military bases—citing what it described as Doha’s supportive stance on the Palestinian issue and the “Axis of Resistance.” On April 9, representatives of the two main Kurdish parties—the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)—said that ongoing disagreements continue to block an agreement on a joint candidate for Iraq’s presidency. A PUK member stated that “no dialogue or rapprochement has taken place” between the two parties on the issue—an assessment echoed by a KDP member, who noted that talks “have achieved no results.” Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on Saturday to elect a new president, five months after the general elections. KDP officials have indicated the party intends to boycott the April 11 session in the absence of an agreement with the PUK. Meanwhile, the PUK has signaled its willingness to proceed with the vote regardless, betting it can secure sufficient backing for its candidate from key parliamentary blocs. The presidency has traditionally been held by the PUK—a monopoly the KDP is seeking to challenge. In other developments, on April 8, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call that Iraqi security forces had arrested those responsible for a March 13 drone attack on a military base in the Kurdistan Region that killed a French soldier and wounded six others. Sudani did not publicly disclose the identities or affiliations of the suspects. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Militias Announce Two-Week Truce After 40 Days of Violence; Kidnapped Journalist Freed; Protesters Storm Kuwait’s Consulate in Basra – On April 8, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced the suspension of its military operations for two weeks, following a tentative ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States. Hours after the announcement, however, two senior militia commanders threatened to resume operations with strikes targeting Israel, citing the continuation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon. The truce followed another week of violence between U.S. forces and militias. Between April 2–8, the PMF said U.S. airstrikes targeted its leaders and bases across several provinces, with the latest wave concentrated in Ninewa, Anbar, and Salah ad-Din. The strikes hit multiple PMF units—including brigades 30, 45, 52, 13, and 25—killing at least three people and wounding many more, including PMF fighters, civilians, and army personnel. Meanwhile, Iran-backed militias continued launching rocket and drone attacks on targets in Baghdad, the Kurdistan Region, and beyond. Targets included a logistical support facility for the U.S. Embassy near Baghdad airport, facilities at the Buzurgan oil field in Maysan, and Peshmerga bases and civilian sites in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. Militias also claimed responsibility for drone strikes against three bases used by U.S. forces in Kuwait, Jordan, and Syria. Separately, a rocket strike killed two civilians in Baghdad, and air defenses shot down a drone targeting radar systems at the Ain al-Asad base in Anbar. On April 7, American journalist Shelly Kittleson was freed by her captors, a week after she was kidnapped in central Baghdad by gunmen linked to the Kataib Hezbollah militia. She was reportedly released in a prisoner swap involving the release of Kataib Hezbollah members implicated in attacks on U.S. interests. Also on April 7, in an incident for which responsibility remains unclear, a rocket struck a house in the Khor al-Zubair area of Basra, killing three people. In the aftermath, angry protesters stormed the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra, accusing Kuwait of being the source of the attack. Iraq’s Foreign Ministry condemned the assault on the consulate and pledged to investigate and prevent further incidents. It also condemned the deadly rocket strike, stating that it originated “from the territory of a neighboring country,” without naming it. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Boosts Northern Oil Exports; Iran Exempts Iraqi Shipping from Strait Closure; KRI Joins Iraq’s Unified Customs System; Airspace Reopens – On April 5, Iraq’s North Oil Company said upgrades at the K-1 pumping station in Kirkuk will enable exports of up to 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Basra through the northern pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Oil will be transported from Basra to K-1 by tanker trucks, with the first convoy arriving Thursday. This will raise Iraq’s exports via Turkey—resumed on March 18—from 250,000 bpd to 340,000 bpd. On April 5, the Iranian military said Iraqi shipping would be exempt from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, stating that transit restrictions apply only to “enemy countries.” One tanker carrying Iraqi crude reportedly exited the strait en route to Malaysia. However, senior Iraqi oil officials noted that the exemption was conveyed verbally and without formal documentation, and no additional tanker transits were confirmed later in the week. On April 6, Iraq’s Ministerial Council for the Economy approved the rollout of a unified customs tariff system at Kurdistan Region border crossings. During talks with a KRG delegation, the sides agreed to standardize tariffs and procedures and to form a joint technical team to oversee implementation. Crucially, the KRG preliminarily agreed to implement the ASYCUDA customs system—previously a point of dispute with Baghdad. On April 8, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority announced the reopening of the country’s airspace to civilian traffic after a 40-day closure amid the Iran war. In other developments, on April 3, the Ministry of Water Resources reported a significant increase in inflows to the Tigris, Euphrates, and Diyala rivers due to recent heavy rains. The surge has raised storage levels in dams and reservoirs and increased water releases into river channels. The ministry also noted increased upstream releases from Turkish dams and said it aims to manage inflows efficiently to boost water storage, support the marshes, and improve conditions in the Shatt al-Arab. 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.

For a deeper discussion of how the conflict with Iran is destabilizing Iraq, read our latest backgrounder: Who Has Sovereignty? How Iraq’s Political Order Exposes the Country to War.

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, criticized the leaders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE over their positions on the war against Iran, and called on the Iraqi government to take punitive measures against Jordan, including closing the land border crossing and halting Iraqi oil supplies. The group urged that Qatar’s interests not be targeted – excluding U.S. military bases – citing what it described as Doha’s supportive stance on the Palestinian issue and the “Axis of Resistance.” In a statement, the group accused the three countries of aligning with “U.S.-Israeli aggression” against Iran and said Jordan should be specifically penalized for allegedly serving as a launch point for attacks targeting PMF fighters and Iraqi security forces. It added that, while Iraqi factions had targeted U.S. forces in Kuwait in the early days of the conflict, they had avoided harming Kuwait’s economic interests and infrastructure. The statement concluded with a warning to countries aligned with the United States against allowing their territory to be used for attacks on Iran. Two weeks ago, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan issued a joint statement strongly condemning attacks against them by Iran and its allied militias in Iraq. While reaffirming positive relations with Iraq, the countries called on Baghdad to take immediate steps to prevent militias from launching attacks from Iraqi territory. 

On April 5, Shafaq News, citing informed sources within the Coordination Framework (CF), reported that the CF had authorized Hadi al-Amiri to begin negotiations with leaders of armed factions to broker a truce with the United States. Amiri’s mediation is expected to focus on Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, with the aim of halting the ongoing exchange of attacks. 

On April 8, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call that Iraqi security forces had arrested those responsible for a March 13 drone attack on a military base in the Kurdistan Region that killed a French soldier and wounded six others. According to a statement from Sudani’s office, the two leaders also discussed support for ongoing U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks, as well as the latest Israeli strikes on Lebanon. The statement did not disclose the identities or affiliations of the suspects.

On April 9, representatives of the two main Kurdish parties—the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)—said that ongoing disagreements continue to block an agreement on a joint candidate for Iraq’s presidency. Burhan Rauf, a PUK member, stated that “no dialogue or rapprochement has taken place” between the two parties on the issue. Mahma Khalil of the KDP echoed this assessment, noting that talks “have achieved no results.” Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on Saturday to elect a new president, five months after the general elections. KDP officials have indicated the party intends to boycott the April 11 session in the absence of an agreement with the PUK. Meanwhile, the PUK has signaled its willingness to proceed with the vote regardless, betting it can secure sufficient backing for its candidate from key parliamentary blocs. 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.

Sources cited in this section include: Shafaq, ISHM archive, INA, Ultra Iraq, Kurdistan24.

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Militias Announce Two-Week Truce After 40 Days of Violence; Kidnapped Journalist Freed; Protesters Storm Kuwait’s Consulate in Basra

On April 2, the U.S. military launched fresh airstrikes against Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) bases across Iraq. On that day, the U.S. hit bases for PMF brigade 30 in the town of Bartella in Ninewa province. Then on April 4, airstrikes targeted a base for PMF brigade 45 near Iraq’s border crossing with Syria at al-Qaim, killing one PMF fighter and wounding five. On the same day, another airstrike targeted the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran, which the PMF factions have been using to send aid convoys to Iran. The attack killed a civilian and injured several. Meanwhile, other attacks struck bases for PMF brigade 31 in al-Sayniyah in Salah ad-Din province. Next, on April 6, U.S. aircraft conducted multiple strikes on bases for PMF brigade 52 in the Tuzkhormatu district of Salah ad-Din province and PMF brigade 13 in Anbar province. The airstrikes continued on April 7 with additional attacks on bases for PMF brigade 52 in Salah ad-Din and PMF brigade 25 in al-Hadhar district of Ninewa province. The U.S. also hit PMF brigade 45 at al-Qaim another time, killing another PMF fighter, and struck a PMF engineering base at Camp Ashraf in Diyala province.  Finally, on Wednesday, five army personnel were injured in a strike on a PMF base near Taji, north of Baghdad.

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 April 2, drones targeted a logistical support facility for the U.S. embassy near Baghdad airport but were shot down. On April 3, seven drones approached targets in the city of Erbil but were all shot down. On the following day, April 4, several drones struck warehouses used by the Oil Ministry and foreign companies at the Buzurgan oil field in Maysan province. Meanwhile, at least seven drones targeted Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, and Koysanjaq in the Kurdistan region. On April 5, additional drones struck at or near the logistical support facility for the U.S. embassy, causing a fire. On the same day, five civilians were injured by falling debris after air defenses shot down a drone that approached the Balad air base, north of Baghdad. Meanwhile, Saraya Awliya al-Dam, an obscure Resistance faction claimed responsibility for drone strikes against three bases used by the U.S. in neighboring countries: the Ali al-Salim base in Kuwait, the Mowafaq al-Salti base in Jordan, and the Qasrak base in Syria. Next, on April 6, an attack with four drones targeted the command headquarters for the Peshmerga forces in the Kurdistan region, while several other drones targeted Erbil airport and a camp for members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDP-I). Additional drone attacks on April 7 struck Peshmerga bases in Rabrin and a house outside Erbil, killing two civilians. Some of these drones were launched from Iranian territory. Also on April 7, Iraq’s Defense Ministry said troops shot down a drone that was aimed to strike radar systems at the Ain al-Asad base in Anbar province. Finally, on Wednesday, a rocket struck a house in the west Baghdad neighborhood of al-Amiriyah, killing two civilians, while additional rockets or drones struck a house, university dormitories, and two vehicles in different parts of the capital.

On April 7, American journalist Shelly Kittleson was freed by her captors, a week after she was kidnapped in central Baghdad by gunmen linked to the Kataib Hezbollah militia. Iraqi officials told the Washington Post that Kittleson was freed in a prisoner swap involving the release of Kataib Hezbollah members implicated in attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq and neighboring countries. A spokesman for the militia confirmed the deal, saying the group agreed to free Kittleson “in appreciation of the national positions of outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani,” adding that she was released “on the condition that she leaves the country immediately.” 

On April 7, in an incident for which responsibility could not be immediately determined, a rocket struck a house in the Khor al-Zubeir region of Basra, killing three people. After the incident, angry protesters stormed the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra, accusing Kuwait of being the source of the attack. The building was reportedly vacant at the time as the Kuwaiti mission had previously moved to an alternate location. Several protesters and members of the security forces were injured in the altercation that ensued, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry. Iraq’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on the consulate, pledging to launch an investigation and take action to prevent future attacks. The Ministry also strongly condemned the deadly rocket attack, which it said originated “from the territory of a neighboring country,” but stopped short of naming the country in question.  

On April 8, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced the suspension of its military operations in Iraq and the region for two weeks after Iran and the U.S. announced a tentative ceasefire agreement. Hours after the announcement was made, two senior militia commanders, Akram al-Kabi and Abu Ala’ al-Walaie, threatened to resume operations with strikes targeting Israel, citing the continuation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon.  

Sources cited in this section include: Shafaq, INA, Baghdad Today, al-Sumaria, Rudaw, Mawazin, the Washington Post, ISHM archive.

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Boosts Northern Oil Exports; Iran Exempts Iraqi Shipping from Strait Closure; KRI Joins Iraq’s Unified Customs System; Airspace Reopens

On April 3, the Baghdad water department said it temporarily shut down all drinking water treatment plants because of an oil spill in the Tigris River. The oil spill was reported earlier upstream in the Baiji district of Salah ad-Din province and was caused by damage in an aging pipeline linking the Ajeel oil field to the Baiji refinery complex. Oil spills affecting rivers and farmland are a common occurrence in that oil-producing part of the country, especially after periods of heavy rainfall.  

On April 3, the Ministry of Water Resources reported a significant increase in inflows to the Tigris, Euphrates, and Diyala rivers, driven by recent heavy rains. The surge has raised storage levels in dams and reservoirs and increased water releases into river channels. The ministry said it has implemented an integrated operational and storage plan to absorb these flows, maximize reserves, and offset shortages from years of drought, while maintaining a balanced approach to ensure steady river discharge. It urged residents—especially those living along riverbanks, particularly on the Diyala River—to observe safety measures, avoid waterways and flood protection zones, and remove encroachments that obstruct water flow. The statement also noted increased releases from Turkish dams upstream and affirmed the ministry’s readiness to manage inflows efficiently to boost water storage, support the marshes, and improve conditions in the Shatt al-Arab.

On April 4, the acting Minister of Natural Resources in the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) said the region’s oil production was now at less than 25% its pre-war levels. Production currently averages around 65,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from nearly 270,000 bpd before hostility began on February 28, as five of the region’s main fields halted production, according to Acting Minister Kamal Mohammed. About 50,000 bpd of current production is used domestically, while between 10,000 and 15,000 bpd is available for export, Mohammed added. 

On April 5, Iraq’s North Oil Company said that new repairs at the K-1 oil pumping and storage station in Kirkuk will allow the export of limited quantities of oil from the southern fields of Basra through the northern export pipeline towards the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The company’s director, Amir Khalil Ahmed, said the upgrades will allow up to 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) to be received from Basra then exported via the northern export system. Company officials said the 90,000 bpd will be transported from Basra to K-1 using tanker trucks, with the first convoy of trucks arriving Thursday. This is expected to increase Iraq’s exports via Turkey, which resumed on March 18, from 250,000 bpd to 340,000 bpd. 

On April 5, the Iranian military announced that Iraqi shipping would be exempt from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, stating that transit restrictions apply only to “enemy countries.” In its statement, Tehran also expressed “profound respect for Iraq’s national sovereignty.” Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein welcomed the move, thanking Iran for allowing tankers carrying Iraqi oil to transit the strait. He also discussed implementation mechanisms during a meeting with Iranian Ambassador Mohammed Kadhim al-Sadiq. According to news reports, one tanker loaded with Iraqi crude successfully exited the strait en route to Malaysia. However, senior Iraqi oil officials noted that the exemption was conveyed only verbally and without formal documentation. There were no indications that additional tankers were able to transit the strait later in the week. This comes amid uncertainty about whether the Strait of Hormuz will be opened and the conditions that Iran may set for transit as part of the ceasefire talks between Iran and the U.S.

On April 6, Iraq’s Ministerial Council for the Economy approved the rollout of a unified customs tariff system at border crossings in the Kurdistan Region. The decision was taken during a session chaired by Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and attended by senior officials from Iraq’s border authority, customs and tax administrations, and the national ASYCUDA implementation team. The council also hosted a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including senior cabinet members, customs officials, and representatives of regional chambers of commerce, to discuss unifying customs procedures across all crossings. According to an official statement, the parties agreed to standardize customs policies—including tariffs and measures to protect domestic production—while improving transparency. The council further agreed to establish a joint technical team to coordinate implementation, with a report due next week. On Wednesday, an advisor to the KRG Ministry of Interior confirmed the preliminary agreement to implement the ASYCUDA system in the Kurdistan Region. The system had previously been a point of contention between federal and regional authorities, with the KRG criticizing its enforcement by Baghdad as a form of trade embargo.

On April 8, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority announced the reopening of the country’s airspace to civilian traffic after a 40-day closure due to hostilities involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. A flydubai flight landed at Basra International Airport on Thursday, marking the first commercial arrival since the reopening. Iraqi Airways, the national carrier, is set to resume operations on Friday.

On April 8, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said it was authorized by the government to import two shipments of 200,000 tons of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to meet domestic demand for cooking gas as the sharp reduction in oil production also reduced the country’s gas production. In the meantime, the Oil Ministry has rolled out a rationing system allowing each household two LPG canisters per month as several provinces deal with shortages and sharp price increases of more than 100%.  

On April 9, the federal government sent more than IQD 957 billion to the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) to pay part of the salaries of Kurdistan’s public sector employees for the month of March, the KRG Finance Ministry said. The payment was approved after the KRG sent the federal government IQD 43 billion as remittance for non-petroleum revenue generated during the corresponding month, in accordance with the budget agreement that Baghdad and Erbil announced last July. The March remittance, which represents 50% of revenue generated by the KRG, is significantly lower than past payments of IQD 120 billion as the Iran war impacted regional trade and customs fees, which account for the bulk of KRG non-oil revenue. 

Sources cited in this section include: Iraq Observer, al-Sumaria, Baghdad Today, PUKMedia, ISHM archive, Rudaw, Peregraf, INA, al-Jazeera, al-Ghad, Reuters, Ultra Iraq, Shafaq, Kurdistan24.

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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