Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: Zaidi Announces Revised Plan for Militias, Meets with Syria’s Sharaa in NYC – On September 21, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said his government had reached an agreement with armed factions on a gradual, two-phase process for placing all weapons under state control. Zaidi told The New York Times that the process would begin with a 90-day period during which armed factions would refrain from attacking U.S. interests or neighboring countries in exchange for not being targeted by U.S. forces. The agreement and its timeline would be formally announced on September 30, with the process to be completed by June 30, 2027, although the militias are still negotiating to extend the deadline until the end of 2027. Zaidi said that by June 30, 2027, the factions would cease operating as independent entities, while their members would be integrated into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). Sources close to Zaidi said he planned to present the agreement to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he met Monday in New York City on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. A report by al-Mada, citing a former PMF commander, emphasized the tentative nature of the agreement, calling Zaidi’s announcement of a June 30 deadline “one-sided.” On September 23, Zaidi met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in New York City. The meeting was the first between an Iraqi prime minister and Syria’s new leadership since the fall of the Assad regime. The Syrian news agency SANA said they discussed ways to enhance security and political coordination and expand trade and economic cooperation, without providing details. Meanwhile, Syrian sources told The National that Zaidi and Sharaa acknowledged that they both face domestic challenges from militant groups and are relying on the promise of mutual economic benefits to convince their constituencies of the value of opening a new chapter in relations. In that context, the two leaders discussed keeping destabilizing militant factions away from their shared border and opening new land routes for Iraqi fuel oil exports. In other developments, on September 23, an Iraqi anti-corruption court sentenced lawmakers Alya Nusayif and Ashwaq al-Jubouri to seven years in prison and ordered them to pay fines after finding them guilty of illegal enrichment. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Turkey to Hand Base It Held Since 2015 Near Mosul to the Iraqi Military – On September 23, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an agreement aimed at reducing security tensions and normalizing conditions in parts of Ninewa Province. A joint statement issued after a meeting between Zaidi and Erdogan in New York City said the Iraqi government would establish full security control over the Sinjar district in western Ninewa and end the presence of “banned foreign armed groups,” a reference to militias allied with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. The statement also said the Turkish military would gradually hand over control of its base in Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, where Turkish troops have been stationed despite Iraqi objections since 2015, in accordance with a mutually agreed timetable. The agreement came less than two weeks after Zaidi and representatives of Sinjar’s Yazidi community said the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) would begin handing over their weapons to the state and that Mount Sinjar would come fully under federal government authority, while qualified personnel would be integrated into Iraq’s official security institutions. In other developments, on September 18, local government officials in Anbar Province said that ISIS militants used explosives to sabotage a high-voltage transmission line between the town of Haditha and Baiji in neighboring Salah ad-Din Province. On September 24, three one-way attack drones struck near the homes of members of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in the Soran district of Erbil Province without causing casualties. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Suspends Flights to Iran; Oil Exports Rise to 2.6 MMBPD – On September 20, Iraqi authorities decided to suspend Iranian flights to Iraqi airports starting September 22, after the U.S. threatened sanctions against entities providing services to Iranian airlines. Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, warned this week that when an Iranian airline flight arrives at an airport, that airport “cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system.” While Iranian flights to Baghdad Airport were halted, Najaf Airport continued to service Iranian flights on September 23. The flight suspension drew angry reactions from pro-Iran armed factions, including Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada and Harakat al-Nujaba, which condemned the move as an act of submission to American control and injustice. On September 21, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said that crude oil exports averaged nearly 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) during the first three weeks of September. The preliminary figure indicates a gradual recovery in export levels despite ongoing shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz. The September average thus far represents an 18% increase from August’s average of 2.2 million bpd. In other developments, on September 22, Iraq’s Oil Ministry inaugurated a new natural gas processing facility in the southern section of the East Baghdad oil field, operated by China’s Zhenhua Oil, with a capacity of 25 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). The gas will be transported by pipeline to supply a major power plant in Basmayah, southeast of Baghdad. 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: Zaidi Announces Revised Plan for Militias, Meets with Syria’s Sharaa in NYC

On September 21, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said his government had reached an agreement with armed factions outlining a gradual, two-phase process for placing all weapons under state control. Zaidi told the New York Times that the process would begin with a 90-day period later this year during which armed factions would refrain from attacking U.S. interests or neighboring countries in exchange for not being targeted by U.S. forces. He said the agreement with armed factions on disarmament and its timeline would be announced on September 30, with the process to be completed by June 30, 2027, noting that the militias are still negotiating to extend that until the end of 2027. In his remarks, Zaidi stressed that weapons control was a necessity rather than a choice and that it was, alongside combating corruption, a matter of “honor” for him. Zaidi said the process would be completed by June 30, 2027, at which point the factions would cease operating as independent entities while their members would be integrated into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). He asserted that groups continuing to operate under faction names after the deadline would be considered outlawed. Sources close to Zaidi said the second phase would involve the gradual handover of long-range offensive weapons, including ballistic missiles, rockets, and drones, as well as the integration of unintegrated faction brigades into the PMF. According to the sources, Zaidi planned to present the agreement to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he met Monday in New York City on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. A report by al-Mada, citing a former PMF commander, emphasized the tentative nature of the agreement, calling Zaidi’s announcement of a June 30 deadline “one-sided” pending the outcome of ongoing negotiations.

On September 21, judicial sources said that an Iraqi court sentenced Jamal al-Karbouli, a former lawmaker and leader of the al-Hal Party, to a one-year suspended prison sentence. Karbouli, who served as president of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society before entering politics, was also ordered to return $4.5 million to the organization. The ruling came after the court found Karbouli guilty of embezzling funds from a Saudi government grant to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society intended to build public clinics. Karbouli’s sibling, Mohammed, who was also a member of parliament, was recently sentenced by an anti-corruption court to two years in prison for bribery.  

On September 23, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the margins of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York City. The meeting, the first between an Iraqi prime minister and Syria’s new leadership since the fall of the Assad regime, was preceded by a brief encounter in which Zaidi and Sharaa were seen embracing and shaking hands at a meeting of Middle Eastern leaders convened by President Trump to address violent conflicts in the region. A statement from Zaidi’s office said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and efforts to advance them across various sectors, as well as regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions. A brief report by SANA said they discussed ways to enhance security and political coordination and expand trade and economic cooperation, without providing details. Meanwhile, Syrian sources told The National that Zaidi and Sharaa acknowledged that they both face domestic challenges from militant groups and are relying on the promise of mutual economic benefits to convince their constituencies of the value of opening a new chapter in relations. In that context, the two leaders discussed keeping destabilizing militant factions away from their shared border and opening new land routes for Iraqi fuel oil exports. While in New York, Zaidi also met with other regional and world leaders to discuss bilateral relations and the regional conflict, including the king of Jordan, the crown prince of Kuwait (discussed border disputes and power grid connection), the president of Iran, the president of Turkey (more on this below), and the prime minister of the UK.

On September 23, the Integrity Commission said that an Iraqi anti-corruption court had sentenced lawmaker Alya Nusayif from the State of Law bloc to seven years in prison after finding her guilty of illegal enrichment. The court also ordered Nusayif, who was among a dozen lawmakers arrested during the government’s anti-corruption sweep in June, to pay the state nearly $44 million in compensation and fines. On the same day, the Integrity Commission said the anti-corruption court had also sentenced lawmaker Ashwaq Salim al-Jubouri, who was also among those arrested in June, to seven years in prison for corruption and illegal enrichment. The court ordered Jubouri, who belongs to the Reconstruction and Development bloc, to pay the state more than IQD 11.9 billion in compensation and fines. 

On September 23, Shafaq reported that Mohammed Taqi al-Amerli, head of the Badr Organization’s parliamentary bloc and chairman of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, had submitted his resignation from parliament and the Badr Organization. Sources within Badr said Amerli’s decision was related to several recent developments, including the Iraqi government’s decision to suspend Iranian flights in compliance with U.S. sanctions.

Sources cited in this section include: INA, State Department, NYT, al-Hurra, al-Mada, The National, SANA, al-Sumaria, Baghdad Today, Iraq Observer, Shafaq, ISHM archive, Iraqi PM’s office, Ultra Iraq. 

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Turkey to Hand Base It Held Since 2015 Near Mosul to the Iraqi Military

On September 18, local government officials in Anbar Province said that ISIS militants sabotaged a high-voltage transmission line between the town of Haditha and Baiji in neighboring Salah ad-Din Province. According to the officials, the militants used explosive charges to bring down a pylon along the Haditha-Baiji road in the Abau Dalaya area outside Haditha, taking the transmission line out of service.

On September 23, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an agreement aimed at reducing security tensions and normalizing conditions in parts of Ninewa Province. A joint statement issued after a meeting between Zaidi and Erdogan in New York City said the Iraqi government will establish full security control over the Sinjar district in western Ninewa and end the presence of “banned foreign armed groups,” a reference to militias allied with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. The statement also said the Turkish military will gradually hand over control of its base in Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, where Turkish troops have been stationed since 2015 despite Iraqi objections, in accordance with a mutually agreed timetable. Zaidi and Erdogan also agreed to expand trade and expedite joint strategic projects, particularly the Development Road. The agreement came less than two weeks after Zaidi and representatives of Sinjar’s Yazidi community said the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) would begin handing over their weapons to the state and that Mount Sinjar would come fully under federal government authority, while qualified personnel would be integrated into Iraq’s official security institutions.

On September 24, three one-way attack drones struck near the homes of members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDP-I) in the Soran district of Erbil province, a spokesman for the Iranian Kurdish opposition group said. The attack damaged two houses but there were no reports of casualties, the spokesman added.  

Sources cited in this section include: Rudaw, Iraqi PM’s office, ISHM archive, AP.

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Suspends Flights to Iran; Oil Exports Rise to 2.6 MMBPD

On September 20, Iraqi authorities decided to suspend Iranian flights to and from Iraqi airports starting September 22, after the United States threatened sanctions against entities providing services to Iranian airlines. Iraqi government sources said the decision was made by ground-services companies at Iraqi airports to avoid U.S. sanctions, saying that the government does not interfere in the contractual obligations between airlines and ground service providers. Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary warned this week that when an Iranian airline flight arrives at an airport, that airport “cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system.” While Iran has suspended flights to Baghdad Airport, the Najaf Airport, however, continued to service Iranian flights on September 23. A senior airport official said the facility was operating under normal conditions and had not received a formal government notice to suspend any of its operations. The flight suspension was met with angry reactions from pro-Iran armed factions, including Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada and Harakat al-Nujaba, who called the move an act of submission to American control and injustice. Meanwhile, lawmakers affiliated with Iran-backed factions said they would call for an emergency meeting of parliament to discuss the decision and address the harm it will do to Iraq’s economy.  

On September 21, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said that crude oil exports averaged nearly 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) during the first three weeks of September. The preliminary figure indicates a gradual recovery in export levels despite ongoing shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz. The September average, which may be revised depending on export flows during the remainder of the month, represents an 18% increase from August’s average of 2.2 million bpd.

On September 22, Iraq’s Oil Ministry inaugurated a new natural gas processing facility in the southern section of the East Baghdad oil field, operated by China’s Zhenhua Oil, with a capacity of 25 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). According to Deputy Oil Minister for Gas Izzat Sabir, gas processed at the facility will be transported by pipeline to supply a major power plant in Basmayah, southeast of Baghdad.

Sources cited in this section include: Ultra Iraq, al-Jazeera, +964, Rudaw, INA, ISHM archive.

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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