By Bilal Wahab for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Two Tough Scenarios for U.S.-Iraq Relations Washington's ever-narrowing Iraq policy has left it with unpalatable choices, but muddling through is a better short-term option than […]
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Deep Dive: Why a US withdrawal from Iraq is off the table An important letter was delivered to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein last week. In a Jan. 24 meeting, US Ambassador Alina […]
By John Lee. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have renewed their call for Iraq to respect the agreement between the Iraq and Kuwait on the regulation of maritime navigation in the Khor Abdullah waterway. In September, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court declared the agreement to be unconstitutional. A joint statement issued on Wednesday at the conclusion […]
By John Lee. The US Treasury Department has sanctioned Iraq's Al-Huda Bank, and its owner and Chairman, Hamad al-Moussawi. On Monday, the Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) said the bank, "serves as a conduit for terrorist financing, as a foreign financial institution of primary money laundering concern." Along with its finding, FinCEN proposed imposing […]
By John Lee. Judge Haider Hanoun, head of the Federal Integrity Commission in Iraq, called on all countries, especially those parties to the United Nations and Arab anti-corruption agreements, to unite, cooperate, and combine efforts to mitigate the danger of corruption. He emphasized that corruption has become a phenomenon crossing national borders, and modern methods […]
By John Lee. US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Tracey Ann Jacobson (pictured) as Ambassador to Iraq. If approved by the Senate, Ms Jacobson will take over the role from Alina L. Romanowski, who has served in the post since June 2022. In a statement from The White House, Tracey Jacobson […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Commission of Integrity has arrested the General Manager of the Iraqi Cement Company and the director of a private company on charges of bribery. The arrests followed a tip-off from an investor who claimed to be a victim of extortion, having been asked for a sum of $500,000 in exchange for […]
UNDP continues to support the Government of Iraq in ending corruption and boosting foreign investment The UN Development Programme (UNDP)'s Anti-Corruption and Arbitration initiatives (ACAI) is achieving significant milestones midway through its five-year implementation. Funded by the European Union (EU), the project recently conducted its second steering committee on Sunday, January 21, at the State […]
By John Lee. Dana Gas has informed the market that a liquid storage tank at the Khor Mor facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was struck by a suspected drone on the evening of Thursday, 25 January. It said there were no injuries to personnel, but that production was temporarily suspended to put out […]
By John Lee. Iraqi budget airline Fly Baghdad has suspended operations until further notice, following the imposition of sanctions by the United States earlier this week. It said the move was in compliance with a decision of the Iraqi government. The airline added that due to the freezing of its bank accounts, it is unable […]
By John Lee. China's Huawei has organised a technical seminar at the Ministry of Electricity's headquarters, focused on digital transformation, the future of energy, and programs for protecting electrical systems. The seminar was attended by the Director-General of the Technical Department, along with several specialists and advanced engineering and technical staff. The participants provided a […]
By John Lee. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has responded to a claim that large sums are being lost to corruption in Iraq as donors fail to track spending on post-war reconstruction. According to an article in the British newspaper The Guardian: "The alleged kickbacks are one of a number of claims of corruption […]
