Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: Media Network Faces Crackdown; Parliament Prepares New Counter-Terrorism Law; Zaidi Heads to Paris and Berlin Next Week – On September 7, Iraqi authorities arrested political television host Qusay Shafiq over alleged extortion and bribery. Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad said Shafiq was arrested “in the act,” while footage circulated online purportedly showing Shafiq discussing a “gift” with an unidentified person. Separately, Iranian authorities detained Bilal al-Maliki, the owner of Iraq al-Hadath television channel, which broadcasts Shafiq’s political program, and then transferred him to Iraqi authorities. A company office belonging to Maliki and his Baghdad residence were also raided. Meanwhile, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission suspended Iraq al-Hadath’s “Voice of the People” program for 90 days and barred its presenter from appearing in the media for the same period for allegedly breaching broadcasting rules concerning false information, without offering detials. On September 9, the Iraqi parliament conducted a first reading of a new counter-terrorism bill that lawmakers said aims to provide more precise and detailed definitions of acts of terrorism. The bill also calls for creating a terrorist watchlist to track persons of interest and restrict their ability to engage in certain activities, including travel, employment, or obtaining a passport. If passed, the new legislation would replace Iraq’s existing Counter-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005. On September 10, a spokesman for the Iraqi government said that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will begin an official trip to Europe next week that includes visits to Paris and Berlin. Zaidi’s upcoming talks with European leaders will focus on developing “cooperation in the economic, investment, commercial, energy, industrial, technological, cultural, and educational fields,” the spokesman said, adding that the talks will also cover “political and security files,” and regional developments. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Tanker Carrying Iraqi Fuel Hit by Drone in Iraqi Waters – On September 9, Iraq’s Transportation Ministry said that a Panama-flagged tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while operating in Iraq’s territorial waters. The attack damaged the ship’s hull but caused no casualties or fuel leakage into Gulf waters. The tanker, New Andros, was hired by the Oil Ministry as a floating storage vessel and was carrying two million barrels of Iraqi heavy fuel oil when it was struck by a one-way attack drone. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came amid renewed military escalation between Iran and the United States. In other developments, on September 7, three one-way attack drones struck a camp for the Kurdistan Toilers’ Party in the Dokan district of Sulaymaniyah Province. The attack on the site, known as Camp Sordash, damaged several buildings, but there were no reports of casualties. On September 9, Iraqi F-16 jets struck four positions used by suspected ISIS militants in the Wadi al-Shay region of Kirkuk Province. The strike targeted a senior ISIS militant in the Kirkuk region, and ground troops were dispatched to the strike site to confirm ISIS casualties, assess the results, and collect intelligence. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Baghdad Allocates 33,000 BPD of Oil to Finance Water Projects Under Agreement with Turkey – On September 8, the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved a plan to allocate up to 33,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil exports to Turkey to finance water projects under the framework agreement signed by the two countries in 2024. Last November, Iraq and Turkey agreed on a mechanism to implement water infrastructure projects under the agreement, allowing Turkish firms to carry out projects in Iraq financed with revenue from Iraqi oil exports to Turkey. At the time, then-Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani hailed the agreement as an important component of a sustainable solution to Iraq’s water crisis through support for major joint projects. In other developments, on September 8, lawmaker Mansour al-Baeiji warned that Washington could impose sanctions on Iraq’s oil marketing company (SOMO) over alleged payments to Iran in exchange for allowing Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz. In televised remarks, Baeiji claimed the fees amount to as much as $20 per barrel and that Iran imposes them without exception. Baeiji retracted his statement the next day, saying it had been misrepresented by news reports. The controversy comes amid an improvement in Iraqi oil exports and follows initially unsuccessful efforts by Iraqi officials to lobby Iranian decision-makers to grant Iraq special treatment to allow its oil exports to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. If the fee payment scheme is confirmed, Iraq may have paid nearly $1.3 billion to Iran to secure passage for exports in August. 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: Media Network Faces Crackdown; Parliament Prepares New Counter-Terrorism Law; Zaidi Heads to Paris and Berlin Next Week

On September 7, Iraqi authorities arrested political television host Qusay Shafiq on an arrest warrant over alleged extortion and bribery, according to Iraqi officials and local reports. Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad said Shafiq was arrested “in the act,” while footage circulated online purportedly showing Shafiq discussing a “gift” with an unidentified person. Separately, Iranian authorities detained Bilal al-Maliki, the owner of Iraq al-Hadath television channel, which broadcasts Shafiq’s daily political program. An informed source later said Iraqi authorities took custody of Maliki after he was transferred from Iran through Najaf airport. Reports also said that a company office belonging to Maliki and his own residence in Baghdad were raided by a special force from the Integrity Commission. Meanwhile, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission suspended Iraq al-Hadath’s “Voice of the People” program for 90 days and barred its presenter, Marwa Hashim, from appearing in the media for the same period. The commission said the action was based on violations recorded in episodes aired on September 1 and 2, including breaches of broadcasting rules concerning false information, but didn’t offer details.

On September 8, government sources told Shafaq that authorities had released former lawmaker Kadhim al-Sayyadi after three weeks in detention. Sayyadi’s release reportedly came after Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi dropped the charges against him. Earlier reports indicated that the former Sadrist lawmaker was facing extortion charges, but provided no details about the case or the party that filed the charges.

On September 9, the Iraqi parliament conducted a first reading of a new counter-terrorism bill presented by the legislature’s Security and Defense Committee. According to a member of parliament’s Legal Committee, the bill aims to provide more precise and detailed definitions of acts of terrorism and expand the scope of the law to cover additional acts not sufficiently addressed by existing legislation. Lawmaker Mohammed al-Khafaji said the bill also includes a mechanism for creating a terrorist watchlist to track persons of interest and restrict their ability to engage in certain activities, including travel, employment, or obtaining a passport. Khafaji noted that parliamentary committees and political parties may provide feedback and propose amendments following the second reading. If passed, the new legislation would replace Iraq’s existing Counter-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.

On September 10, a spokesman for the Iraqi government said that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will begin an official trip to Europe next week that includes visits to Paris and Berlin. Zaidi’s upcoming talks with European leaders will focus on developing “cooperation in the economic, investment, commercial, energy, industrial, technological, cultural, and educational fields,” the spokesman said, adding that the talks will also cover “political and security files, and regional and international issues.” The spokesman noted that the visit seeks to “open new horizons for French and German companies to contribute to projects and investment opportunities that reflect the Iraqi government’s vision and program,” without mentioning specific projects.

Sources cited in this section include: Baghdad Today, al-Araby al-Jadeed, al-Sumaria, Mawazin, Shafaq, ISHM archive, Iraq’s parliament, al-Ghad, Rudaw.

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Tanker Carrying Iraqi Fuel Hit by Drone in Iraqi Waters

On September 7, three one-way attack drones struck a camp for the Kurdistan Toilers’ Party in the Dokan district of Sulaymaniyah Province, according to security sources and a spokesperson for the Iranian Kurdish opposition group. The attack on the site, known as Camp Sordash, damaged several buildings, but there were no reports of casualties.

On September 9, Iraq’s Transportation Ministry said that a Panama-flagged tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while operating in Iraq’s territorial waters. The attack damaged the ship’s hull but caused no casualties or fuel leakage into Gulf waters, the ministry said. The tanker, New Andros, was hired by the Oil Ministry as a floating storage vessel and was carrying two million barrels of Iraqi heavy fuel oil when it was struck by a one-way attack drone. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came amid renewed military escalation between Iran and the United States.

On September 9, Iraqi F-16 jets struck four positions used by suspected ISIS militants in the Wadi al-Shay region of Kirkuk Province, the Iraqi military said in a statement. The strikes were based on intelligence gathered by the Counter-Terrorism Service by tracking the movements of suspected militants and completely destroyed the four positions, the statement said. A security source subsequently said the strike was targeting a senior ISIS militant in the Kirkuk region known by his nom de gurre, Abu Osama. Ground troops have been dispatched to the strike site to confirm ISIS casualties, assess results, and collect intelligence. 

Sources cited in this section include: INA, Rudaw, al-Sumaria, Peregraf, Iraq Observer, Shafaq.

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Baghdad Allocates 33,000 BPD of Oil to Finance Water Projects Under Agreement with Turkey

On September 4, Iraq’s Oil Ministry attributed recent gasoline shortages to supply disruptions caused by logistical hurdles delaying the arrival of imported fuel shipments at the country’s Gulf ports. In a statement, the ministry said it was developing plans to secure additional tankers to bring in more fuel, compensate for reduced domestic production, meet demand, and rebuild reserves.

On September 8, Mansour al-Baeiji, a senior member of the Reconstruction and Development bloc, warned that the United States could impose sanctions on Iraq’s oil marketing company (SOMO) over making alleged payments to Iran in exchange for allowing Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz. In televised remarks on the 2027 budget, Baeiji said the spending bill would be based on “very little revenue because exports were very low…and we sell the oil at a low price,” adding that Iran also takes fees from SOMO. Baeiji claimed the fees amount to as much as $20 per barrel and that Iran imposes them without exception. Baeiji retracted his statement the next day, saying they were misrepresented by news reports, affirming that Iraq does not pay any transit fees to any party. The controversy comes amid an improvement in Iraqi oil exports and follows initially unsuccessful efforts by Iraqi officials to lobby Iranian decision-makers to grant Iraq special treatment to allow its oil exports to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. According to an Oil Ministry spokesman, Iraq exported nearly 70 million barrels of oil in August, generating $4.5 billion in revenue, the highest figures since the beginning of the Iran war more than six months ago. If the fee payment scheme is true, the figures would imply that Iraq paid some $1.3 billion to Iran to secure passage for exports in August.

On September 8, the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved a plan to allocate up to 33,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil exports to Turkey to finance water projects under the framework agreement signed by the two countries in 2024. Last November, Iraq and Turkey agreed on a mechanism to implement water infrastructure projects under the agreement, allowing Turkish firms to carry out projects in Iraq financed with revenue from Iraqi oil exports to Turkey. At the time, then-Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani hailed the agreement as an important component of a sustainable solution to Iraq’s water crisis through support for major joint projects.

Sources cited in this section include: +964, al-Ssaa, INA, ISHM archive, Iraqi PM’s office.

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.