Iraq is threatened with losing a Korean air defense system due to funding delays.
Iraq is threatened with losing a Korean air defense system due to funding delays.
2026-07-06
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Monday, Faleh al-Khazali, head of the “Victorious” parliamentary bloc, warned of the possibility of Iraq losing the South Korean air defense system contract, after Baghdad received official notification from Seoul that the system could be sold to another country if the remaining payments are not made.
Al-Khazali told Shafaq News Agency that “the Ministry of Defense had previously signed a contract with South Korea to equip Iraq with an air defense system, worth $2.7 billion.”
He explained that “the Iraqi government paid an initial installment of $500 million, with the remaining amount to be paid during 2025, but the lack of funding and the unavailability of financial allocations led to a delay in completing the payments.”
He added that “the South Korean government has officially informed Iraq that it will sell the system to another country if the Iraqi government does not pay the remaining amount of the contract value.”
An Iraqi government source revealed in November 2025 that a contract had been signed with South Korea to purchase an air defense system, noting that the deal included the purchase of 8 batteries worth $2.63 billion.
He pointed out at the time that “if Iraq succeeds in paying for the defense system that will arrive in the country, South Korea will deliver the rest of the defense batteries successively, otherwise the deal may fail.”
shafaq.com
