Iraq News Posted by Tishwash at TNT 5-20-2026

Tishwash: Al-Alaq: No US embargo on Iraqi funds; meeting expected with the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department

Central Bank Governor Ali Al-Alaq confirmed that there is no intention to devalue the Iraqi dinar against the US dollar.

Speaking to a group of journalists and experts, Al-Alaq said, “We will help the government overcome the repercussions of any potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz by discounting treasury bonds and ensuring the payment of salaries.”

He indicated that “the banking reform file is receiving direct attention from the Prime Minister. A meeting is expected in the coming days with the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury Department.”

Al-Alaq continued, “We invest our cash reserves in several countries, and there are no US sanctions on Iraqi funds.”

He added, “Most banks have reached the stage of mergers or liquidation, and only one or two banks remain that are unable to continue operating.”  link

Tishwash:  The Minister of Finance discusses with the Speaker of Parliament files related to financial and administrative reform.

Finance Minister Faleh al-Sari acknowledged the growing financial challenges facing Iraq in light of changes related to energy markets and declining oil exports.

This is accompanied by a decline in revenues, which requires concerted efforts and support for measures that will secure the state’s financial obligations.

This came during his meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, Hebat al-Halbousi, where a number of files related to financial and administrative reform were discussed.

Al-Sari stressed the need to enact legislation and amend a number of laws, in order to support the paths of financial reform.

For his part, Al-Halbousi expressed his support for the government’s efforts in dealing with the complex financial situation the country is going through.  link

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Tishwash:   Advisor to the Association of Banks: Proposes to the government an institutional and structural reorganization of the management of finance, oil, investment and development

On the occasion of the new government assuming the leadership of Iraq in extremely complex economic and financial circumstances, and suffering from a clear liquidity crisis, the primary cause of which is the reliance on oil as a primary source of the general budget and the inability of the Ministry of Oil to secure the necessary export channels to continue exporting after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In an interview with “Economy News,” Samir Al-Nassiri, advisor to the Association of Iraqi Private Banks, suggested to the government, as it begins its first hundred days in office, that it should restructure and reorganize its economic files and sectors in finance, oil, investment and development by setting strategic goals to overcome the effects of the economic and financial crisis and absorb its repercussions in the short and long term.

Al-Nassiri called for strengthening the Financial Stability Council with advisors with expertise in fiscal policy, monetary policy, strategic planning and crisis management, and establishing an operations room to manage the oil sector, and in particular the management of the affairs of the Ministry of Oil, headed by the Prime Minister and with the membership of executive representatives from the Ministries of Finance and the Central Bank and specialized advisors, and following up on the procedures of the Ministry of Oil and SOMO, which are considered responsible for their inability to seek to secure external export channels to continue and sustain our oil exports after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which greatly harmed our national economy.

He pointed to the necessity of establishing the Supreme Council for Investment and Development, chaired by the Prime Minister and with the membership of the Ministries of Finance, Planning, Housing and Reconstruction, the Central Bank, the Head of the National Investment Commission, a representative of the Private Sector Development Council, and the Head of the Contractors Union.

The Council would be responsible for drawing up the investment map for the country in all economic sectors and involving the private sector in financial financing and implementation processes with the participation of private capital and with sovereign government guarantees and protection of laws that reassure the private sector, with the aim of achieving a real transition from the old economy to a market economy.  link

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Tishwash:  Political agreement will facilitate the passage of the oil and gas bill

 Political agreement will facilitate the passage of the oil and gas bill

 The Iraqi parliament will soon put the oil and gas bill on its agenda, an Iraqi lawmaker said: political understanding and agreement has been reached between most of the parliamentary factions The passage of the bill is considered a nerve of stability, as it is a political and economic issue.

The problems are being solved

“The oil and gas law will be submitted to parliament soon because it is a preliminary agreement between them,” Adel Mahlawi, a member of the Taqadoom faction in the House of Representatives, told Sabah newspaper There are political parties.

 “Prime Minister Ali Zaydi has expressed his readiness to complete the bill because it is very important and has an economic and service dimension,” he said.

“Some of the bills still need national agreement, including the oil and gas bill, but the oil and gas bill gives the provinces a wider opportunity to manage their own affairs and organize it,” he said Relationship between the federal government and oil-producing provinces.

Delays in oil exports will hurt Iraq

Meanwhile, Ola al-Nashi, a member of the Oil and Gas Committee in the Iraqi parliament, said: “We have sent an official letter to the Ministry of Oil in order to take advantage of all these opportunities The move comes after changes in the Arabian Gulf that have affected ship movements There were oil fields.

 “The oil issue is the backbone of Iraq’s economy. Any delay in oil exports or disruption of export lines will directly affect the state’s gross revenue,” he said.

 Export statistics during the conflict

According to the Iraqi Oil Marketing Company (SOMO), about 21 Iraqi oil ships carrying 27 million 678 thousand barrels of oil were disrupted in the Gulf due to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz In March and April, eight ships completed the loading and transit of 9 million 765 thousand 797 barrels of oil He had carried it.

 Three other ships carrying 4 million 886 thousand 786 barrels of oil were able to pass during the crisis.

 Finally, Al-Nashi stressed that parliament will continue to follow the measures of the Ministry of Oil and SOMO to protect Iraqi oil exports and prevent the loss of economic opportunities, in order to support the budget and provide it Financial entitlements of the country.

He called on the oil ministry to take this development seriously, as it is a political and economic issue and not just a technical issue.  link

Tishwash:  An economist explains the factors controlling the dollar exchange rate in the parallel market.

Economic expert Salah Nouri confirmed on Tuesday that the exchange rate of the dollar in the parallel market is subject to several internal and external factors, most notably supply and demand and liquidity conditions in the market.

Nouri said, “The exchange rate of the dollar in the parallel market depends on supply and demand, and this equation is affected by multiple internal and external factors.” He explained that “the demand for dollars by some traders who do not deal with the external transfer system of the Central Bank of Iraq is affected by the rise in global commodity prices and weak purchasing power.”

He added that “the supply of dollars in the parallel market is limited, and is often linked to a commercial tendency among those who possess the currency for the purpose of selling or speculation,” noting that “the liquidity crisis and fears of paying the salaries of employees and retirees also affect the movement of the market and their ability to purchase imported goods.”

Nouri explained that “changing the dollar exchange rate is one of the tasks of the Central Bank of Iraq, in accordance with its monetary policy and in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for fiscal policy,” noting that “this file has not been fully clarified within the new ministerial formation.”  link