Archive | 2018

How Water Scarcity could Destabilise the ME

Testing the water: How water scarcity could destabilise the Middle East and North Africa The Middle East and North Africa is the most water-scarce region in the world. Nearly two-thirds of the population there are living in areas that lack sufficient renewable water resources to sustain current levels of activity and growth, according to a […]

7m Sq Meters cleared of IS Explosives

Over seven million square meters in areas liberated from ISIS cleared of explosives The Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency (IKMAA) has cleared 7,414,199 square meters in areas liberated from ISIS of explosive devices and difused 43,057 IEDs and UXO pieces, said Siraj Barzani, Head of IKMAA, in an interview with the Kurdistan Regional Government website. […]

Iran-backed PMU Militias Raising Profile

By Shelly Kittleson for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.  In Iraq, tension between the US-led coalition and armed groups linked to Iran has risen in recent months. For example, the United States sanctioned key representatives of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on […]

Oil Ministry Finalises Export Figures for October

By John Lee. Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has announced final oil exports for October of 107,821,261 barrels, giving an average for the month of 3.478 million barrels per day (bpd), a slight decrease from the 3.560 bpd exported in September. These exports from the oilfields in central and southern Iraq amounted to 107,530,008 barrels, giving $7.898 […]

Putting an End to Violence against Women in Iraq

In Iraq, women and girls from different backgrounds remain at risk of violence, in their homes, at school and in public spaces. According to a recent joint survey by the Government of Iraq and UNICEF, 37 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 in Iraq think that violence towards women is […]

Iraq to remove Impediments to Infrastructure Investment

By John Lee. Iraqi President Barham Salih has told an international conference in Rome that Iraq will remove any impediments to Iraqi and foreign private sector companies, as well as international financial institutions, donor countries and sovereign wealth funds, to invest in major infrastructure projects in the country. He added that these projects may include […]

Iran-Iraq Relations in light of US Sanctions

By Bijan Khajehpour for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.  The reimposition of US secondary sanctions has compelled Tehran to look for ways to reduce their negative impact. According to Iranian officials, one of the strategies is to increase trade […]

Can Iraq’s new Leadership Win (and Keep) the Peace?

By Ranj Alaaldin. Iraq now has a new government in place, six months after holding elections against a backdrop of a long period of political instability and social unrest. With the new leadership of Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and President Barham Salih—both widely touted as reformist, progressive, and Western-leaning—there are high hopes that the […]

Iran Worries about Losing Ground in Iraq

By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With rising US pressure, Iran worries about losing ground in Iraq Iraqi President Barham Salih met with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Nov. 17 in Tehran, where Khamenei underlined […]

GardaWorld Weekly Security Report

GardaWorld, a global leader in comprehensive security and risk management, has made its weekly security report available to Iraq Business News readers. Prepared by GardaWorld's Risk Analysis Team in Iraq, this essential report includes short- and medium-term outlooks on the security situation, reports and commentary on recent significant events, and a detailed overview of developments […]