Minister of Communications: I was blackmailed, and we will not repeat the 2010 failure.
Minister of Communications: I was blackmailed, and we will not repeat the 2010 failure.
2025-10-13 04:31
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraqi Communications Minister Hiyam al-Yasiri confirmed on Monday that she had been subjected to blackmail, stating that a court order was what halted the national telephone project.
According to Al-Yasiri, who spoke at a press conference attended by Shafaq News Agency, the ministry has been trying to obtain a government license for the national project since 2010 but was blocked. She added, “We don’t want to repeat the experience after 15 years.”
According to her, the project’s plan and concept are based on establishing a national mobile phone company, a move that was envisioned in the presence of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. She added that the national company operates with Iraqi hands and funds, and that the company, according to a decision issued by the House of Representatives, must choose an international operator, and that all measures taken by the ministry are in accordance with Cabinet decisions.
She explained that “all procedures were issued in accordance with Cabinet decisions, as we have reached the stage of signing the license contract between the company and the Communications and Media Commission,” adding, “We previously clarified that everything related to mobile phones is subject to contracts with the Communications and Media Commission, subject to obtaining and signing the license.”
She continued: “The contract signing between the national company and the Communications and Media Commission was scheduled for October 8, after obtaining the license,” noting that “what happened was based on a letter issued by a member of parliament that included falsified facts and inaccurate statements.”
Al-Yasiri explained that “the judge issued a suspension of the license, and that the suspension order was issued against the Iraqi company, not Vodafone. We at the ministry did not sign any contract with Vodafone, and what was signed in the past few months was a memorandum of understanding with the aforementioned company.”
She added, “The suspension decision issued by the Supreme Judicial Council is a suspension of the signing of the licensing contract between the Communications and Media Commission and the Iraqi Mobile Telephone Company, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Communications. We, as a ministry, will continue to respond to the judiciary.”
She continued, “We understand that the representatives are in an election season and are seeking outbidding and media exposure, and we understand that, but this should not be at the expense of the public interest and important projects for the Iraqi state.”
Al-Yasiri asked, “Who benefits primarily and ultimately from the lack of competition for existing companies? We have official documents indicating that there are parties seeking to stop the national carrier.”
Regarding the revenues of Asiacell and Zain Iraq, she responded by saying, “Asiacell’s revenues in 2024 amounted to 2 trillion dinars, while Zain Iraq’s revenues in the aforementioned year amounted to one and a half billion dollars,” stressing that “there is competition against the government project.”
According to Al-Yasiri, the first call for the Iraqi National Grid project was scheduled to launch in November 2025, but a letter from a male and female representative and a judge’s order halted the process. She argued that “this has resulted in billions being wasted and prevented thousands of unemployed youth from being employed by the national company.”
She added, “Vodafone is a global company whose role is to train Iraqi cadres and transfer fifth generation,” reiterating, “We did not sign any contract with the aforementioned company. I was subjected to blackmail to obtain the ministry’s projects, and I refused, preferring to work and choose what is right. However, as a result, I was targeted, the most recent of which was the targeting of the National Mobile Phone Company.”
Al-Yasiri concluded, “Telecommunications must be another source of revenue, supporting the country’s economy.”
On March 11, 2025, the Iraqi Council of Ministers, headed by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, approved the establishment of the National Mobile Telecommunications Company to operate 5G in partnership with Vodafone, with contributions from the Ministry of Communications, the National Retirement Authority, and the Trade Bank of Iraq.
shafaq.com
