Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: Three Militias Announce Disarmament Plans Amid Opposition by Hardliner Factions – On June 2, the Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) and Kataib al-Imam Ali (KIA) militias announced plans to detach themselves from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and place their weapons under state control. AAH said it would form a committee to inventory its weapons, equipment, and personnel and coordinate the process of placing its forces under the authority of the commander-in-chief. Explaining its decision, the KIA militia said that “resistance is not a profession, but rather a responsibility and a duty that requires restricting weapons to the hands of the state, strengthening security institutions, and expanding the rule of law” in order to win the “battle to build a strong, capable state with full sovereignty.” The announcements came shortly after leaders of the Coordination Framework (CF) authorized Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to “take the necessary decisions and measures to preserve the country’s higher interests.” In a statement that appeared to reflect a somewhat different vision for reorganizing relations between the PMF and the militias, CF leaders affirmed their support for establishing state control over arms and detaching the PMF “from all political, partisan, and social frameworks.” The statement stressed that decisions of war and peace belong exclusively to the Iraqi people through parliament and the elected government. Tuesday’s announcements also came two days after aides to Muqtada al-Sadr met with Zaidi to discuss implementing Sadr’s announcement last week separating his Saraya al-Salam militia from his political organization and placing it under state control. Zaidi welcomed the moves by AAH and KIA, calling them a “positive step toward building the state and strengthening the rule of law.” The announcements were also welcomed by Tom Barrack, whom President Trump had appointed special envoy to Iraq the previous day. In a social media post, Barrack congratulated Zaidi on a “significant step forward” that represents “the nascent foundation for renewed Iraqi self-governance.” Barrack joined Zaidi in commending “those groups whose principled decision to return all weapons to the Iraqi state will contribute to the architecture of order.” The disarmament debate, so far lacking in detail, continued to draw strong objections from several powerful militias, particularly Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba. In other developments, on June 1, thousands of young doctors went on strike demanding stable employment and better pay. On June 2, Bahrain issued instructions prohibiting its citizens from traveling to Iraq and Iran. On June 4, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Ishaq al-Fayyadh, one of the most senior Shia Muslim clerics in Iraq and the world, passed away. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: IRGC Claims Attack on Cargo Ship In Iraqi Waters – On June 2, Iraqi security officials said that a foreign cargo vessel reported an explosion onboard while sailing in Iraqi waters shortly after unloading its cargo at the port of Umm Qasr. The Panama-flagged MSC SARISKY V suffered damage, but there were no reports of casualties, and the twenty sailors onboard safely disembarked at an Iraqi port. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it fired a cruise missile at the ship in retaliation for an earlier U.S. attack on an Iranian vessel in the Sea of Oman. In other developments, between May 31 and June 2, two rocket attacks targeted camps belonging to an Iranian Kurdish opposition group outside Erbil. On June 2, news reports citing U.S. Army officials said that an American soldier and a British soldier were killed during a joint military exercise at an air base near Erbil. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Senior Oil Official Arrested on Corruption Charges; Iraq Wants Northern Exports Tripled by August – On May 30, security forces arrested the Deputy Oil Minister for Refineries, Adnan Hamad al-Jumaili, on corruption charges. The Central Anti-Corruption Court said preliminary investigations found that Jumaili and his associates were in possession of large sums of cash—$10 million and nearly IQD 3 billion—along with titles to 40 properties, as well as 1.5 kilograms of gold and a large cache of automatic weapons and machine guns. The Court released photographs of the seized assets and said investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the alleged corruption network. On June 3, the Iraqi government approved a plan to expand crude oil export capacity through Turkey and Syria in response to the ongoing disruption of Gulf export channels. The plan calls for increasing exports by pipeline to Turkey from 220,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 770,000 bpd within 75 days, while also raising truck-based exports to Syria to 420,000 bpd. As part of the effort, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with the Kurdistan Region’s Minister of Natural Resources and representatives of foreign oil companies and agreed to restart production at fields where operations had been suspended due to security concerns. The government also authorized the Oil Ministry to contract with Syrian authorities for the transport, storage, and handling of Iraqi crude through the Mediterranean ports of Baniyas and Tartus. The developments come amid reports that Iraq’s crude oil exports in May declined to a new low of 266,000 bpd. In other developments, on June 2, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission said it had cancelled its prior settlement agreement with Korek Telecom, suspended all company operations, and initiated legal proceedings against the firm. On June 3, news reports said that Baghdad and several other provinces were experiencing gasoline shortages, with long lines forming at fuel stations amid disruptions to refinery operations in Basra. 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: Three Militias Announce Disarmament Plans Amid Opposition by Hardliner Factions

On June 1, thousands of young doctors went on strike across Iraq, excluding the Kurdistan region, demanding stable employment and better pay. The strike comes less than two weeks after a group representing medical interns from the 2023 and 2024 graduating classes announced plans to walk off the job until they are granted permanent positions instead of their current temporary contracts. The affected interns, who reportedly number around 5,000, receive monthly stipends of IQD 420,000 (less than $300) under their temporary appointments but say they have not been paid for four months. News reports indicate that the strike has already disrupted operations at numerous hospitals and health clinics across the country.

On June 2, the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia led by Qais al-Khazali announced its decision to detach itself from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and place its weapons under state control. In a statement, the group said it would form a committee to plan the next steps, including conducting an inventory of its weapons, equipment, and personnel and coordinating the process of placing its forces under the authority of the commander-in-chief (the prime minister). Another militia, Kataib al-Imam Ali, quickly issued a similar announcement, saying it would sever ties with the PMF and begin “immediate procedures to place weapons under the control of the state, in coordination with the national will and the decisions of the brothers in the Coordination Framework.” Explaining its decision, the militia, led by Shibl al-Zaidi, argued that “resistance is not a profession, but rather a responsibility and a duty that requires restricting weapons to the hands of the state, strengthening security institutions, and expanding the rule of law” in order to win the “battle to build a strong, capable state with full sovereignty.” The announcements came shortly after leaders of the Coordination Framework (CF) authorized Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to “take the necessary decisions and measures to preserve the higher interests of the country.” In a statement that appeared to reflect a somewhat different vision for reorganizing relations between the PMF and the militias, CF leaders affirmed their support for establishing state control over arms and detaching the PMF “from all political, partisan, and social frameworks.” The statement further stressed that decisions of war and peace belong exclusively to the Iraqi people through their constitutional institutions, namely parliament and the elected government. Tuesday’s announcements also came two days after senior aides to Muqtada al-Sadr met with Prime Minister Zaidi to discuss mechanisms for implementing Sadr’s announcement last week separating his Saraya al-Salam militia from his political organization and placing it under state control through the commander-in-chief. The prime minister welcomed the moves by Khazali and Shibl al-Zaidi, calling them a “positive step toward building the state and strengthening the rule of law.” The announcements were also welcomed by Tom Barrack, who was appointed a day earlier by President Trump as special envoy to Iraq. In a social media post, Barrack congratulated the Iraqi premier on a “significant step forward” that represents “the nascent foundation for renewed Iraqi self-governance.” Barrack joined Zaidi in commending “those groups whose principled decision to return all weapons to the Iraqi state will contribute to the architecture of order.” The disarmament debate continued to draw strong objections from several powerful militias, particularly Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba. In a statement posted online, Kataib Hezbollah appeared to dismiss factions discussing the surrender of their weapons to the state, offering to buy their heavy weapons and care for the families of their fallen fighters—language that appeared intended to shame Khazali and other militia leaders pursuing that course.

On June 2, the government of Bahrain issued instructions prohibiting its citizens from traveling to Iraq and Iran until further notice, citing security concerns arising from “reprehensible Iranian aggression.” Iraq’s relations with Arab Gulf states have been strained by the Iran war and attacks on these countries by Iran and its allied Iraqi militias. Last month, Bahrain was one of several Gulf states to summon Iraqi ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions to deliver protests over militia attacks originating from Iraqi territory. 

On June 3, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi appointed former Construction and Housing Minister Bangeen Rikani as director of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA), a spokesman for the agency said. Rikani, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), has served as acting director of the ICAA under the government of former Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani. 

On June 4, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Ishaq al-Fayyadh, one of the most senior Shia Muslim clerics in Iraq and the world, passed away. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced three days of mourning in honor of the late religious leader. Fayyadh was considered one of the “Big Four,” the group of top Shia clerics that includes Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Bashir al-Najafi, and the late Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim. 

On June 4, parliament speaker Haybat al-Halbousi asked Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to nominate a new president for the Federal Public Service Council (FPSC). In a letter addressed to Zaidi, Halbousi explained that the current FPSC president Muhie Hammadi and his deputy, Arshad Abdullah, assumed office without being sworn in before parliament, calling that “a serious breach of the duties of public office.”

Sources cited in this section include: INA, social media, Shafaq, ISHM archive, Iraqi PM’s office, Rudaw, Kurdistan24, al-Sumaria, al-Arabiya.

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: IRGC Claims Attack on Cargo Ship In Iraqi Waters

On May 29, medical sources in Babylon province said that two people were killed and three others were wounded in armed clashes related to disputes over land rights in the Awadil region in southern Babylon. Two days later, security sources in Maysan province said on June 1 that a person was killed and four others were wounded in armed clashes between two groups of the Fartous tribe in the al-Mijar al-Kabeer district, south of Amara.

On May 31, the Kurdistan Toilers’ Party, an Iranian Kurdish opposition group based in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, said that an attack with two rockets targeted one of its camps in the Alanah Valley region of Erbil province. The same camp was again attacked with rockets Tuesday evening, a spokesman for the group said. The attacks caused damage but there were no reports of casualties. Meanwhile, a drone of unknown origin crashed in a residential area in the Soran district of Erbil without causing casualties. The lack of an explosion upon impact suggests the drone may have been a reconnaissance vehicle. 

On June 2, news reports citing U.S. Army officials said that an American soldier and a British soldier were killed during a joint military exercise at an air base near Erbil, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. 

On June 2, security sources in Basra said that a foreign cargo vessel reported an explosion onboard while sailing in Iraqi waters shortly after unloading its cargo at the port of Umm Qasr. The ship, Panamese-flagged MSC SARISKY V, suffered some damage but there were no reports of casualties, and the twenty sailors who were onboard the ship safely disembarked at an Iraqi port. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it fired a cruise missile at the ship as retaliation for an earlier U.S. attack on an Iranian vessel in the Sea of Oman.  

On June 3, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said its fighters killed three suspected ISIS militants during operations in the Baaj desert of Ninewa province. 

Sources cited in this section include: al-Ghad, Shafaq, Rudaw, ISHM archive, al-Sumaria, NINA. 

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Senior Oil Official Arrested on Corruption Charges; Iraq Wants Northern Exports Tripled by August

On May 30, government sources told Shafaq News that a special task force arrested the Deputy Oil Minister for Refineries, Adnan Hamad al-Jumaili, on corruption charges. A leaked police document circulating online appeared to confirm the arrest, which took place in Jumaili’s hometown of al-Ishaqi in Salah ad-Din province. The sources described the arrest as part of a new campaign by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to combat corruption and scrutinize contracts awarded under previous governments. In a statement issued on Tuesday, an investigative judge at the Central Anti-Corruption Court said preliminary investigations found that Jumaili and his associates were in possession of large sums of cash—$10 million and nearly IQD 3 billion—along with titles to 40 properties in Baghdad, Salah ad-Din, and Erbil, as well as 1.5 kilograms of gold and a large cache of automatic weapons and machine guns. The Court released photographs of the seized assets and said investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the alleged corruption network.

On June 2, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) announced the cancellation of its settlement agreement with Korek Telecom, the suspension of all company operations, and the initiation of legal and regulatory proceedings against the firm. The CMC said the decision was taken after Korek failed to meet its financial and contractual obligations despite being granted multiple opportunities to resolve its legal and financial status. The measures include suspending the company’s activities and pursuing legal action against its assets and properties to recover outstanding debts. The CMC also urged government institutions, private-sector entities, and citizens to refrain from entering into new contracts or business dealings with Korek until further notice. The decision follows earlier steps by the regulator to freeze Kork’s assets as part of efforts to recover debts owed by the telecom operator. Korek and the CMC have been fighting a legal battle over alleged violations of license terms, with the CMC demanding more than a billion dollars in damages. In 2024, the two sides reached a settlement (that soon began to falter) under which the company was required to pay the government $1.25 billion over six years.

On June 3, Iraq’s Council of Ministers approved a plan to expand crude oil export capacity through alternative routes in response to the ongoing disruption of Gulf export channels. The plan calls for increasing pipeline exports to Turkey from current levels of approximately 220,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 770,000 bpd within 75 days, while also raising truck-based exports to neighboring countries to 420,000 bpd in three stages. As part of the effort, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with the Kurdistan Region’s Minister of Natural Resources and representatives of foreign oil companies operating in the region to discuss ways to restart production at fields where operations had been suspended amid the conflict with Iran and attacks on the Kurdistan region. The two sides agreed to take the necessary measures to help the companies resume operations immediately. The Cabinet also authorized the Oil Ministry to contract with Syrian authorities for the transport, storage, and handling of Iraqi crude through the Mediterranean ports of Baniyas and Tartus. The agreement would cover exports of Basra Light, Medium, and Heavy crude grades and provide for the establishment of a representative office for the Oil Ministry to manage exports through the Syrian route. To facilitate implementation, the Cabinet granted the Oil Minister expanded financial and contracting authorities. The developments come amid reports that Iraq’s crude oil exports in May declined by 22% month-on-month, from approximately 343,000 bpd in April (329,000 bpd according to earlier official reporting) to just 266,000 bpd. 

On June 3, news reports said that Baghdad and several other provinces were experiencing gasoline shortages, with long lines forming at fuel stations. The director of the Petroleum Products Distribution Company sought to reassure the public that the shortage is temporary and would be resolved within a few days, noting that the government is importing additional volumes of gasoline to meet demand, which the Oil Ministry says has risen in recent months from 32 million liters/day to 35 million liters/day. The official attributed the disruption to the suspension of operations at the Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit at the Basra refinery following the departure of foreign staff due to security concerns. Iraq inaugurated the 55,000 bpd facility in October last year. The unit accounted for 4-5 million liters/day of gasoline production, and Iraqi oil officials had expected its introduction to enable the country to end gasoline imports altogether.

Sources cited in this section include: Shafaq, Bas News, ISHM archive, Peregraf, Mawazin, Rudaw, Kurdistan24, al-Ghad, Ultra Iraq, al-Sa’a, al-Mirbad. 

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.