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 first round proved inconclusive, in which he received 208 votes, while Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, his main rival from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), received only 16. The 58-year-old Amedi is a former minister of environment who heads the PUK’s Baghdad office and has served as an advisor to three former Iraqi presidents. The KDP boycotted the session, which proceeded despite the absence of an agreement with the PUK on a joint candidate—a condition the party says is necessary. The KDP has since recalled its representatives from parliament and the cabinet for consultations in Erbil. The session was also boycotted by Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law bloc, which cited “fundamental disagreements among the political powers.” With the election of a new president, parliament now has fifteen days to nominate a prime minister. In the meantime, the Coordination Framework (CF) postponed a key meeting—originally scheduled for Wednesday—until Saturday, where leaders were expected to decide on their nominee. According to CF insiders, the bloc remains split among three positions: backing Nouri al-Maliki, supporting a second term for caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, or advancing a compromise candidate. The CF had initially nominated Maliki in late January, but the move lacked full internal support and drew Sunni reservations, as well as strong opposition from Washington, with President Donald Trump warning against his return to office. A member of Maliki’s State of Law bloc said on Wednesday that Maliki would step down only if two-thirds of CF leaders publicly called for his replacement. In other developments, the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain summoned Iraqi envoys to their capitals to protest drone attacks on Gulf states originating from Iraqi territory. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Kurdistan Region Faces New Drone Attacks Despite Ceasefire – Between April 10–16, authorities in the Kurdistan Region reported several drone and rocket attacks despite the ceasefire between Iran, its allied militias, and the United States coming into effect on April 8. Most of the attacks targeted camps hosting members of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, killing at least one person and wounding two. During this period, Global Coalition forces shot down at least two drones that approached Erbil from Iranian airspace. In other developments, on April 9, senior State Department officials summoned Iraq’s ambassador to the United States, Nizar al-Khairullah, to convey Washington’s protest over attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi militias on U.S. facilities and personnel. The attacks included “the April 8 ambush of U.S. diplomats in Baghdad,” the statement noted, without further details. In his meeting with Khairullah, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau stressed that Washington “will not tolerate” further attacks and urged Baghdad to “immediately take all measures to dismantle Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq.” On April 14, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, leader of Kataib Hezbollah, over his role in attacks on U.S. interests. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Severe Pollution Impacts Tigris, Diyala Rivers; Oil Exports Droped 80% in March; Khor-Mor Resumes Production – On April 12, Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources said a severe pollution wave affecting the Diyala and Tigris rivers was caused by the discharge of large volumes of untreated sewage from nearby municipalities. Officials said heavy rainfall over the past two weeks worsened the situation, as increased inflows dislodged sediment and carried additional untreated waste downstream. The pollution wave, which moved from the Diyala into the Tigris at their junction south of Baghdad, forced downstream municipalities to shut down drinking water treatment plants and caused mass fish die-offs in farms along the Tigris, particularly in Wasit province. As of Wednesday, Wasit’s water department warned residents not to use tap water for drinking until tests could confirm its safety. On April 13, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said crude exports in March averaged just 600,159 bpd amid the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a drop of more than 80% from February. Exports generated only $1.957 billion in revenue, down sharply by about $4.857 billion from February’s $6.814 billion. Also on April 13, Dana Gas said it had resumed regular production at the vital Khor-Mor gas field in the Kurdistan Region after nearly six weeks of disruptions caused by the Iran conflict and militia attacks. In other developments, on April 14, reports indicated a sharp rise in some fresh vegetable prices across Iraq due to the suspension of Iranian imports and the end of the domestic production season. The same day, the Ministry of Environment reported progress on a national air-quality monitoring project, with four main stations and twenty secondary stations installed in Baghdad over the past six months ahead of expansion nationwide. 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: Iraq Elects New President 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, representing the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), secured 227 votes—surpassing the required two-thirds majority—in a second round of voting after the first round proved inconclusive, in which he received 208 votes. Lawmaker Muthanna Nadir placed second with 17 votes, followed by Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Amedi’s main rival from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), with 16. The 58 year old Amedi is a former Minister of Environment in Prime Minister Sudani’s cabinet who heads the PUK’s Baghdad office and served as an advisor to three former Iraqi presidents. The KDP boycotted the session, which proceeded despite the absence of an agreement with the PUK on a joint candidate—a condition the party says is necessary. It also argued that the vote violated parliamentary procedures, stating it “does not consider the person elected in that manner to represent the majority” of Kurdish representatives. The KDP has since recalled its representatives from parliament and the cabinet for consultations in Erbil. Ahead of the Saturday vote, the KDP warned that moving forward with the election without establishing consensus shows “clear disregard for the principles of national partnership” and represents a “dangerous setback for the constitutional understandings” on which Iraq’s political system was established. The session was also boycotted by Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law bloc and the Huqooq bloc, affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah. A spokesman for Maliki cited “fundamental disagreements among the political powers” as the reason for the boycott. Meanwhile, a Huqooq lawmaker said the bloc abstained after learning of a backroom deal to elect a president and “advance a certain candidate for the premiership in contravention of existing agreements,” without naming the candidate. With the election of a new president, parliament now has fifteen days to nominate a prime minister. 

On April 12, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Riyadh, Safiyah al-Suhayl, to protest drone attacks on the Kingdom that originated from Iraqi territory. During the meeting, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud al-Sati conveyed Riyadh’s condemnation of the attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, and stressed the need for Iraq to address these threats responsibly. Sati reaffirmed the Kingdom’s rejection of violations of state sovereignty and any threats to regional security and stability, stating that Saudi Arabia “will take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect its territory.” Later in the week, Bahrain and the UAE followed suit, with both foreign ministries summoning the heads of Iraqi missions to deliver similar formal protests over militia attacks originating from Iraqi territory on Gulf states.

On April 12, 2026, Archbishop Emill Shamon Nona was elected as the new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. He succeeds Cardinal Louis Rafael Sako, who had stepped down from his position as the spiritual leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church last month. Nona was born in the town of Alqosh in 1968 and had served as Archbishop of Mosul for more than 15 years. 

On April 15, the Coordination Framework (CF) postponed a key meeting—originally scheduled for Wednesday—until Saturday, where leaders were expected to decide on their nominee for prime minister. Sources said the delay was intended to allow more time for internal consultations amid ongoing divisions that have stalled government formation since the November elections. According to CF insiders, the bloc remains split among three positions: backing Nouri al-Maliki, supporting a second term for caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, or advancing a compromise candidate. The main alternative under discussion is reportedly Bassim al-Badri, head of the Justice and Accountability Commission. Other names reportedly being considered include former Planning Minister Ali al-Shukri (Sadrist) and intelligence chief Hameed al-Shatri. The CF had initially nominated Maliki in late January, but the move lacked full internal support and drew Sunni reservations and strong opposition from Washington, with President Donald Trump warning against his return to office. A member of Maliki’s State of Law bloc said on Wednesday that Maliki would step down only if two thirds of CF leaders publicly called for his replacement with another candidate.

Sources cited in this section include: al-Sumaria, INA, Rudaw, UltraIraq, Shafaq, Mawazin, Vatican News, ISHM archive, Baghdad Today, New Sabah, al-Aalem al-Jadeed.

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Kurdistan Region Faces New Drone Attacks Despite Ceasefire

On April 9, senior State Department officials summoned Iraq’s ambassador to the United States, Nizar al-Khairullah, to convey Washington’s protest over attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi militias on U.S. facilities and personnel, the State Department said. The attacks included “the April 8 ambush of U.S. diplomats in Baghdad,” the statement noted, without providing further details. In his meeting with Khairullah, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau acknowledged Iraqi security forces’ efforts to address such incidents but emphasized the government’s failure to prevent them, adding that some elements linked to the Iraqi state continue to provide political, financial, and operational support to the militias. Landau warned that this dynamic undermines U.S.-Iraq relations and stressed that Washington “will not tolerate” further attacks, urging Baghdad to “immediately take all measures to dismantle Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq,” the statement concluded.

On April 10, the Interior Ministry of the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) said that security forces intercepted and shot down multiple drones that targeted several locations within the region. The ministry did not say whether the drone attacks – which came after the ceasefire between Iran, its allied militias and the U.S. came into effect – had originated from Iraqi territory or from across the border in Iran. A few days later, on April 14, an explosive drone struck the Sordash camp, which houses members of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, in the Dokan district of the Sulaymaniyah province. The attack wounded three female Iranian Kurdish fighters, one of whom later died. Meanwhile, Global Coalition fighters shot down two drones that approached Erbil from Iranian airspace, KRG counterterrorism officials said. Then on Wednesday, April 15, another drone struck the Degla camp, which hosts civilians related to members of the Iranian Kurdish opposition group, KDP-I, in Erbil province. The attacks continued on Thursday with two separate drone strikes on camps for the Iranian Kurdish opposition group in Erbil province and a rocket strike on a similar camp in the Zargawela region of Sulaymaniyah. There were no reports of casualties associated with the April 15 – 16 incidents. 

On April 14, the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, leader of Kataib Hezbollah (KH), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The statement said al-Hamidawi directed KH attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities as recently as March 2026 and has played a central role in planning operations against U.S. and Iraqi security forces since 2007. The program noted that KH has repeatedly targeted U.S. personnel in Iraq with rockets, IEDs, and drones, and has received training and support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Al-Hamidawi, declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2020, is also accused of inciting violence, including protests seeking to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

On April 16, U.S. forces withdrew from the Qasrak base in northeast Syria and handed the location over to units from the Syrian army, Syria’s official news agency reported. The Qasrak base was targeted at least twice in recent weeks by drones launched by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

On April 16, security sources in Dhi-Qar province said that a nine year old Bedouin girl was killed in an incident involving an explosive remnant of war in the desert near the Suq al-Shuyukh district of the province.  

Sources cited in this section include: Rudaw, al-Sumaria, State Department, social media, SANA, ISHM archive. 

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Severe Pollution Impacts Tigris, Diyala Rivers; Oil Exports Drop 80% in March; Khor-Mor Resumes Production

On April 12, Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources attributed a severe pollution wave affecting the Diyala and Tigris rivers to the discharge of large volumes of untreated sewage from nearby municipalities. Officials said heavy rainfall over the past two weeks worsened the situation, as increased inflows dislodged sediment and carried additional untreated waste downstream. According to the head of the Technical Department at the Ministry of Environment, a surge in releases from the Hamrin Dam reservoir pushed significant quantities of accumulated pollutants along the Diyala River toward the Tigris, accelerating the spread of contamination. The official noted that the river has lost much of its natural resilience after five consecutive drought seasons, leading to a buildup of pollutants and turning it into a contamination hotspot. The pollution wave, which moved from the Diyala into the Tigris at their junction south of Baghdad, forced downstream municipalities to shut down drinking water treatment plants and caused mass fish die-offs in farms along the Tigris, particularly in Wasit province. As of Wednesday, Wasit’s water department was warning residents to not use tap water for drinking until tests could verify its safety for human consumption. 

On April 13, Iraq’s Oil Ministry reported that crude oil exports during March totaled just 18.604 million barrels, for an average of 600,159 bpd, amid the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The March exports were about 2.965 million bpd below the levels Iraq reported for February – a drop of more than 80%. The Ministry said the exports generated only $1.957 billion in revenue, a sharp drop of about $4.857 billion from February’s revenue of $6.814 billion. Nearly 470,000 bpd of the exports came from fields in southern and central Iraq and were exported through the ports of Basra. Meanwhile, an average of 42,000 bpd was also exported from fields in the Kurdistan region via Turkey. Volumes exported by trucks to Jordan, which usually average 10,000 bpd, remained at zero for the third month in a row. Iraq’s main oil exports from Basra remain largely halted as of reporting. Reports indicate that a single tanker loaded with two million barrels of Iraqi crude left through the Strait of Hormuz around April 12.  

On April 13, Dana Gas said that it resumed regular production operations at the Khor-Mor gas field in the Kurdistan region. The resumption of normal operations comes after nearly six weeks of interruptions and pauses as a result of the Iran conflict and drone and rocket attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi militias on the Kurdistan region. The field, which is operated by the Pearl Gas consortium of Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, is the main gas field in Kurdistan with pre-war daily production averaging 750 million cubic feet (MMcf/d).   

On April 14, Iraq’s Oil Ministry announced that an accelerated phase of the Bin Omar gas development project is set to begin production by the end of the month. The project will receive and process 70 MMcf/d of raw gas, according to Deputy Oil Minister for Gas Izzat Sabir. The facility is expected to produce up to 600 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per day, nearly 80 MMcf/d of natural gas for power generation, and 1,800 bpd of condensates, Sabir added, without explaining the apparent discrepancy between inputs and outputs. The ministry had signed a contract in January 2024 with Halfaya Gas Co. (part of the Raban Al Safina Group) to produce up to 300 MMcf/d of natural gas. At the time, it said the first phase—targeting 150 MMcf/d—would be completed within 36 months.

On April 14, news reports indicated a sharp rise in some fresh vegetable prices across Iraq. The Ministry of Agriculture and traders attributed the increase to three factors: the suspension of Iranian imports due to border closures, the high cost of Turkish imports, and the end of the domestic production season. The wholesale price of tomatoes, in particular, roughly quadrupled—from about IQD 500 to IQD 2,000 (with the U.S. dollar equivalent to approximately IQD 1,530).

On April 14, Iraq’s Ministry of Environment reported progress on a national air-quality monitoring project, beginning with Baghdad. Ministry spokesperson Luay al-Mukhtar told Rudaw that four main stations and twenty secondary stations have been installed in the capital over the past six months. He added that the ministry has established Iraq’s first national air-quality monitoring center in Baghdad’s Waziriya district. Mukhtar said the ministry is working with the World Bank and other partners to expand coverage to all of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, within a year. Environment Minister Halo al-Askari noted that the plan includes collecting data over a full year to produce a comprehensive scientific assessment of annual air-quality levels.

Sources cited in this section include: Baghdad Today, al-Sumaria, Rudaw, Kurdistan24, Mawazin, Iraq’s Oil Ministry, ISHM archive, Dana Gas, INA, 964media.

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.

Subscribe to our weekly ISHM and have the latest developments in Iraq sent straight to your inbox every Thursday and follow EPIC on Twitter to receive updates throughout the week.