Tishwash: Fahmi Burhan: The Kurdish regions are our strategic depth, and Article 140 is the basis for the solution.
The head of the General Authority for Kurdish Areas Outside the Region’s Administration, Fahmi Burhan, affirmed today, Sunday, November 1, 2026, that the Kurdish areas represent the strategic depth and national identity of the people of Kurdistan, stressing the need to address their issues based on the constitution, while warning at the same time of the negative repercussions of internal disputes in the region on the conditions of those areas.
During an interview on Kurdistan 24, Burhan said, “The Kurdish regions, especially Kirkuk, Khanaqin, Sinjar, Makhmur, and the Nineveh Plain, constitute the central issue and the strategic and historical depth of the Kurdish people,” noting that the Kurds’ struggle, revolutions, and diplomatic efforts over the past hundred years have focused on determining the fate of these regions.
The head of the commission explained that the issue of these areas is a national issue that transcends partisan calculations, saying: “The issue of these areas cannot be reduced to the framework of an electoral entitlement or winning several parliamentary seats in Kirkuk or Nineveh; we are the owners of a national and historical entitlement, and whether or not any party obtains parliamentary representation does not change this established historical fact.”
Regarding the security file and the implementation of the constitution, Burhan stressed that “there is no alternative to the constitution, and the legal basis for resolving disputes is Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which has political and legal dimensions,” stressing that the security understandings between Erbil and Baghdad, despite their importance, cannot be a substitute for activating this constitutional article.
Burhan called for the activation of a joint administration between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government within the framework of federal Iraq, with the reactivation of joint operations rooms from Khanaqin to Sinjar, to prevent Baghdad from unilaterally making decisions related to those areas.
Burhan warned of the challenges facing the identity of the Kurdish regions, explaining that “the most prominent risks stem from Baghdad’s failure to adhere to the constitution and existing laws; for example, the law addressing agricultural land issues was enacted without issuing the necessary implementing regulations.”
He pointed to rapid demographic changes since 2003, explaining that Kirkuk, with a population exceeding two million, is experiencing a demographic imbalance due to targeted population growth in areas such as Hawija, Abbasi, and Zab, which has negatively impacted the ethnic balance between the Kurds and the Turkmen population. link
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Tishwash: Parliamentary Finance Committee: The draft budget law is contingent on an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad.
The draft federal budget law is expected to be sent to the Council of Ministers and the Council of Representatives pending a final agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, coinciding with a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government heading to the federal capital this week, according to parliamentary and government sources on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
According to information obtained by Kurdistan 24, discussions regarding the draft federal budget law for 2027 will intensify significantly this week, at a time when the draft is still with the Federal Ministry of Finance and has not yet been referred to the Council of Ministers.
A specialized team in the Kurdistan Regional Government is working to finalize and prepare a package of legal and administrative documents that will guarantee the entitlements and actual share of the Kurdistan Region within the federal budget, before the arrival of the Kurdish delegation to Baghdad.
Meanwhile, Jamal Kochar, a member of the Finance Committee in the Federal House of Representatives, told Kurdistan 24 that the draft budget law is still under review at the Federal Ministry of Finance and has not yet been sent to Parliament.
Kujer explained that “referring the project to parliament is linked to reaching understandings and an agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government, and it will not be submitted to the legislative authority unless the two parties reach a common consensus formula.”
The member of the Finance Committee pointed out that “Baghdad is capable of passing the budget project without coordination or agreement with the Kurdistan Region, but it prefers to avoid this path in order to prevent future crises or problems that would hinder implementation.”
Regarding the upcoming legislative recess of the Federal House of Representatives next month, Koger explained that, based on Article (58) of the Constitution, the legislative session can be extended for an additional month, noting at the same time that Article (57) of the Constitution stipulates that if the draft budget law reaches Parliament before November 1st, the legislative session remains open and continues by default until the law is ratified. link
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Tishwash: Urgent | Central Bank: Within one to two weeks, one billion dollars will arrive in Iraq from America as part of cash dollar shipments.
The spokesperson for the Central Bank of Iraq, Mahmoud Dagher, revealed that a new shipment of US dollars will arrive in Iraq from the United States in the coming period, as part of shipments with a total value exceeding one billion dollars.
He added in press statements today (Sunday), which were followed by Iraq Observer: “Within a very short period, not exceeding one to two weeks, a new shipment of dollars will arrive from America.”
He explained: “We have made our preparations and completed the full transfer via the SWIFT system,” noting that in upcoming shipments, the amount will exceed one billion dollars.
Dagher explained the mechanism for selling dollars at the official rate to travelers, saying: “As the Central Bank, we disburse $2,000 to each traveler at the official rate, and they can benefit from this six times a year.” He clarified that there is an intention to extend this to travelers through Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports as well, but this requires some administrative and technical arrangements with the relevant authorities. “We will follow up on the matter and issue a final decision on it within the next two days,” he added.
The Central Bank spokesperson confirmed that no new directives have been received so far regarding other Iraqi banks that may be subject to US Treasury sanctions, explaining: “So far, no new directives have been issued by the US Treasury. We are awaiting the results and report from Oliver Wyman on the steps and reforms taken by these banks. After this assessment is completed, the US Treasury will determine its steps based on the report.” link
Tishwash: Al-Zubaidi: All the Central Bank’s measures to control the dollar exchange rate have failed.
Salam al-Zubaidi, spokesperson for the Victory Coalition, confirmed on Sunday that it is difficult for the Central Bank and the government to control the discrepancies between the official exchange rate and the black market rate. He indicated that all statements made are merely pronouncements, and what will prevent this manipulation is strong and deterrent measures.
Speaking to Al-Maalouma, al-Zubaidi said, “The measures they want to take are just hot air when it comes to controlling the exchange rate and achieving parity or reducing the gap between the official and black market rates.” He emphasized that “the measures taken so far are ineffective and have failed, as evidenced by their failure on the ground.”
He added, “The government and the Central Bank have not learned from the measures that accompanied the dollar’s rise in previous periods, which failed and did not help to lower the dollar’s value.” He pointed out that “what will prevent this manipulation are strong measures, like those we witnessed in countries near Iraq when dollar manipulation occurred.”
Al-Zubaidi explained that “the government must take measures to control the markets, which have become a major loophole that is crushing citizens with prices that have risen after the exchange rate was raised against the Iraqi dinar.”
He pointed out that “some speculators are protected by political influence, and that most of those who benefit from speculation in the markets are influential individuals who own private banks and have interests and influence within political blocs, which makes any measures fail in the face of this influence. link
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Tishwash: “I stand by this statement,” the Deputy Prime Minister said: “The dollar in the parallel market will decrease and approach the official rate.”
Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Tamim predicted on Sunday that the dollar exchange rate in the parallel market would decrease and approach the official rate, confirming that Iraq had received new cash payments based on the strength of the relationship with America.
He explained that the cash supply had increased to $3 billion in just two months, noting that the first batch arrived last Thursday, with a second batch expected at the beginning of November, amounting to more than $500 million per batch. This will supply the local market with an injection from the government and under the supervision of the Central Bank.
The Cabinet had decided on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, to amend the exchange rates of the dinar against the US dollar based on what was presented by the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, so that the final selling price of the dollar to citizens and non-bank financial institutions would be (1520) dinars per dollar.
The Central Bank directed all banks, exchange companies, and electronic payment companies to stop using the previous price and to update their banking systems, with the new prices being officially adopted, where the price of buying the dollar from the Ministry of Finance was set at (1500) dinars, and its selling price to banks at (1510) dinars.
Tamim stated in a statement followed by Noon News Agency that “the parallel exchange rate will decrease and will be very close to the official exchange rate, and I am responsible for this statement. The reason is that this government has a distinguished relationship with the United States of America, and the basis of this relationship is trust.”
He added that “in previous years the supply of dollars in cash to Iraq decreased to less than 3 billion per year, while in these two months the US government made a decision to send only 3 billion, and the first batch arrived last Thursday, and another batch will arrive on the second day of November, and each batch is worth more than 500 million dollars.”
He continued, “Therefore, I am confident that the measures that the government and the central bank will take, in addition to what will be offered in the market in dollars, will lead to a decrease in the exchange rate, and it will be close to the parallel exchange rate and very close to the official exchange rate, if it is equal to it, as is the case in some neighboring countries.”
It is worth noting that today the selling price of the dollar in exchange shops in the local markets of Baghdad was 168,750 dinars for 100 dollars, while the buying price was 167,750 dinars for 100 dollars. link