Oil tanker departures through the Strait of Hormuz have been halted for the third day.
2026-07-18
Shafaq News – Follow-up
Data from Kpler, a maritime traffic tracking website, showed on Saturday that no oil tankers had left the Strait of Hormuz for the third day in a row, a development reflecting the continued disruption to shipping in one of the world’s most important energy transit routes.
This halt comes amid escalating military tensions in the region and continued tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and the United States, raising growing concerns about the security of navigation Read more…
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Grounded planes and the “Baghdad Gate”… Parliament investigates Iraqi Airways files
2026-07-18
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Saturday, Mohammed Abu Al-Eis, a member of the Parliamentary Transportation and Communications Committee, revealed that his committee intends to host executive officials from the government and the Ministry of Transportation in the coming days to discuss the issue of lifting the European ban on Iraqi Airways and to review the measures taken to remove the obstacles that hinder this.
Abu Al-Eis told Shafaq News Agency that the committee, in its oversight role, recorded a number of observations and administrative and financial violations related to the Iraqi Airways General Company, indicating that these files were Read more…
Amidst escalating tensions, the Iranian currency has plummeted to a historic low, with the dollar nearing 193,000 tomans.
2026-07-18
Shafaq News – Baghdad/Tehran
The US dollar continued its rise in the Iranian free market, recording its highest level ever on Saturday, after its price exceeded the 192,800 toman mark, amid the continued rise in foreign currency prices with the escalation of security tensions in the region.
The dollar had previously reached a record high of 190,000 tomans on May 4, Read more…
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Government financial advisor: The 48 agreements with Washington will enhance Iraq’s economic openness.
7-18-2026
Prime Minister’s Advisor Mazhar Muhammad Salih confirmed on Saturday that the 48 agreements with Washington are a step towards enhancing economic openness. He indicated that the memoranda of understanding with the United States reflect Iraq’s direction towards attracting foreign investments. Salih told the official news agency that “the signing of 48 agreements, memoranda of understanding, and a declaration of partnership between Iraq and the United States represents an important step Read more…
The Iraqi resistance has offered $10 million for anyone who kills Trump.
2026-07-17
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced on Thursday evening that it has set a financial reward of (10) million dollars for whoever kills US President Donald Trump, or whoever decides to allocate or direct it to an individual, group, entity, or institution.
The resistance continued in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency: The reward came after “Trump boasted of his treachery and aggression in targeting the leaders of victory, the two martyred commanders, Hajj Qassem Soleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis Read more…
Iraqi Dinar Guru opinions 7-17-2026
7-17-2026 Newshound Guru Stephen I have always believed the Iraqi dinar was going to revalue during a time of complete global turmoil, the markets are going to be crashing…fiat currency…is going to be going down the tubes. Inflation is going to be high… Speculating that that’s going to be round the time of the dinar revaluation, I’m going to be investing in more commodity-based assets. Not all of my dinar returns, but a decent percentage…I truly believe the dinar is just the starting point…If you’re wise and smart with the money you get from…the dinar you’re going to be able to 50x, 100x, a 1,000x…10,000x [your] initial dinar returns… Read more…
First Iranian reaction to al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington: Regrettable and “humiliating to Iraq”
2026-07-17
Shafaq News- Tehran
On Friday, Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader, commented on Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s visit to the United States.
Velayati said in a memo published by media outlets that al-Zaidi’s visit to the United States was “a regrettable trip, inappropriate in its timing, and insulting to the struggles of the Iraqi people throughout its thousands of years of history,” as he put it.
Velayati considered the Iraqi Prime Minister to be a “young and inexperienced” person. Read more…
Exclusive: A massive American renewable energy project revealed in Iraq
2026-07-17
Shafaq – Washington
Adam Cortese, CEO of the US renewable energy companies Sun Africa and UGTR, revealed on Friday that the executive steps have begun to develop a strategic solar energy project in Iraq in cooperation with the Iraqi Kar Group, confirming the opening of an office in Baghdad to manage the planned project.
Speaking to Shafaq News on the sidelines of the joint business summit in Washington, D.C., Cortizi said that the relationship and history between the United States and Iraq made him not necessarily expect to be received with great warmth, adding: “But we were indeed received with open arms, and we Read more…
Al-Zaydi: We are looking for an investment partnership with Washington, not “contracting” deals.
2026-07-17
Shafaq- Washington
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi affirmed on Friday that the Iraq is seeking permanent investments and partnerships, not just contracts for implementation.
This came during Al-Zaydi’s speech at a business conference held by the American Chamber of Commerce, which was attended by a large number of businessmen and traders, representatives of American companies, bankers, representatives of financing institutions Read more…
Iraq records a budget deficit of 12.9 trillion dinars in five months
7-17-2026
Information/Baghdad…
Data released by the Iraqi Ministry of Finance revealed that the general budget recorded a deficit of 12.9 trillion dinars during the first five months of this year, amid a decline in revenues of 28.1% compared to the same period last year.
According to the ministry’s report, total expenditures during the aforementioned period amounted to 46.6 trillion dinars, distributed between 45 trillion dinars in operational expenses, representing 96.5% Read more…
With the charisma of Ibn Salman and the youth of Sharia, this is how al-Zaydi charmed Trump.
2026-07-17
Shafaq News – Special Translation
The British newspaper ” Financial Times ” believes that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi succeeded in achieving the most important goals of his first visit to Washington, after he managed to win the favor of US President Donald Trump, who showered him with praise in the same way he had previously praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, at a time when doubts remain about al-Zaidi’s ability to implement the major pledges he made to the US administration.
The newspaper reported, in a report titled “Handsome” and “Brave Fighter”… The new Iraqi leader is courting Read more…
Barak: Iraq is leading a strategic alliance linking the Gulf, the Levant, Egypt, and Turkey.
2026-07-17
Shafaq News – Washington
Mustafa Hashim
The US President’s envoy to Iraq, Tom Barrack, confirmed on Friday that Iraq is leading security and strategic alliances in the region by linking the Gulf states, the Levant, Turkey and Egypt together.
In his address to the US-Iraq Business Summit, which was attended by a Shafaq News Agency correspondent, Barak said that “strategies based on diplomacy, intelligence and the military often follow the lead of the business sector,” stressing that companies and business leaders are “the best diplomats” Read more…
Ministry of Industry: A plan to develop solar panel production lines in cooperation with international companies
7-17-2026
The Ministry of Industry and Minerals revealed on Friday that there is a trend to develop solar panel production lines in support of local industry, while it indicated that there is a plan to cooperate with international companies to transfer technology. The Director General of Al-Zawraa General Company, affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, Muhannad Jabbar Al-Khazraji, told the official agency that “there is a trend by the Ministry to develop solar panel production lines, increase local manufacturing, as well as cooperate with international companies to transfer technology, supply government institutions and Read more…
An urgent call for federal integrity: The stench of corruption in the region is overwhelming.
7-17-2026
Information / Special ..
Kurdish MP Ghalib Muhammad revealed Thursday, that he possesses hundreds of corruption files which he said relate to officials in the Kurdistan Region, calling on the Federal Integrity Commission to open a comprehensive investigation into these files and form a specialized investigation committee to follow up on them, stressing that many of them are related to the squandering of public funds.
Mohammed told Al-Maalomah that “the Federal Integrity Commission is required to perform its oversight role Read more…
A government with no clear leadership: Al-Zaydi negotiates in Washington while internal disputes rage.
7-17-2026
Information / Report..
While Prime Minister Ali al-Zidi is conducting a series of meetings in the American capital, Washington, accompanied by a government delegation, to discuss political and economic issues and conclude agreements with the American side, his government is still operating with an incomplete cabinet, in a scene that raises questions about the ability of the executive authority to manage major issues while it lacks a number of original ministers.
Since the vote of confidence for the government, the completion of the cabinet has remained stalled amidst ongoing Read more…
MP: Al-Zaydi lacks the power to implement American conditions because he does not have a parliamentary bloc.
7-17-2026
Information/Baghdad…
Member of Parliament Riyadh al-Masoudi revealed on Friday that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi lacks a strong parliamentary bloc or popular support to implement American demands, placing him in an awkward position given the need to appease both domestic and international actors simultaneously.
Al-Masoudi told the Information Agency, “Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s current strength does not qualify him to implement American directives, as he lacks a parliamentary bloc or popular support aligned with his policies. He is facing internal and external pressures to Read more…
Hinting at its “rejection”… Sudanese coalition: Al-Zidi’s agreements with Washington will be presented to the “framework” and parliament
2026-07-17
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Reconstruction and Development Coalition, headed by former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, confirmed on Friday that all agreements that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will conclude with the US administration will be presented to the Coordination Framework, the State Administration Coalition, and the House of Representatives for approval or rejection.
Coalition member Ali Hussein Obeid Al-Fatlawi told Shafaq News Agency that “Iraqi political forces stipulated to Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi that in the event of concluding any joint agreements or understandings concerning Read more…
Al-Zaidi calls on the American company KBR to make a “long-term” investment in oil and technology.
2026-07-17
Shafaq News – Washington
On Thursday, Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi called on the American company KBR to partner and invest long-term in oil infrastructure and technology.
This came according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Media Office, which was received by Shafaq News Agency, during a meeting held by Al-Zaidi in Houston, USA, at the headquarters of KBR, a multi-activity engineering and technology company, in the presence of the Ministers of Oil and Electricity, the Head of the Board of Advisors in the Prime Minister’s Office, a number of advisors, and the Iraqi Ambassador to Washington. Read more…
The Staircase Theory: A New Formula for Combating Corruption
2026-07-17
Fares Hamed Abdel Karim
Is it enough to “clean the stairs from the top”?
A famous saying has always been repeated in the literature of administrative and political reform, likening the fight against corruption to “cleaning the stairs,” stressing that the purification process must inevitably start from the top down; if the head is reformed, the body will be reformed, according to this view.
Despite the simple theoretical appeal of this approach, the collision with practical reality, especially in complex political environments where the influence of elites is pervasive, reveals a structural flaw that makes this unilateral approach inadequate, and even doomed to failure. Read more…
Gold is on track for its biggest weekly loss in six weeks amid escalating regional tensions.
2026-07-17
Shafaq News – Erbil
Gold is on track for its biggest weekly loss in six weeks on Friday, as escalating tit-for-tat strikes between the United States and Iran have pushed up oil prices, adding to inflationary pressures and boosting the likelihood of a U.S. interest rate hike.
Gold rose 0.5 percent to $3,988.20 an ounce by 0313 GMT in spot trading, after hitting its lowest level since July 1 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures for August delivery settled at $3,992. Read more…
