By John Lee. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions targeting networks involved in transporting and purchasing Iranian oil, including a group of companies led by Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said. The U.S. alleges that Said's network smuggled Iranian oil disguised as, or blended with, Iraqi oil, […]
By John Lee. Judge Munther Ibrahim Hussein has been officially sworn in as President of Iraq's Federal Supreme Court (FSC) during a ceremony at Baghdad Palace, overseen by President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid. President Rashid congratulated Judge Hussein and wished him success in his new role. He reaffirmed his support for the Court's independence and […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Drilling Company (IDC) has announced the completion of drilling and rehabilitation operations on 113 oil wells during the first half of 2025. The company's teams successfully drilled 27 new wells and rehabilitated 86 existing ones, contributing to the Ministry of Oil's objectives of boosting production levels and improving oilfield efficiency. […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Cabinet has approved the allocation of part of plot (1/89, District 14, Al-Haswa), currently owned by the Ministry of Finance and designated for the Ministry of Defence, based on the Defence Ministry's actual land needs. A total of 2,400 dunams will be allocated to the Iraq Development Fund to contract […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abbas Jabr Al-Maliki, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with his Bulgarian counterpart, Dr. Georgi Tahov, to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector. The official meeting, held in Sofia and attended by Iraq's Ambassador to Bulgaria H.E. Lina Omar, focused on deepening collaboration in livestock development, […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Oil Exploration Company (IEC) has successfully completed the two-dimensional "Hadhab" seismic survey in Nineveh province. The project, carried out by the Eighth Seismic Team of the Field Operations Directorate, covered 1,691.9 km and included 33,876 energy points. According to a statement from the Ministry of Oil, this was accomplished despite challenging […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has held a three-day training workshop in Erbil on the "Core Standards for Detecting Counterfeit Currency," in collaboration with its branch office in the Kurdistan Region. Organised by the CBI's Banking Studies Center, the workshop runs from 1st to 3rd July 2025 and includes participation from […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul Ghani, held talks in Baghdad on Wednesday with Russian Ambassador Elbrus Kutrashev and a delegation from Russian energy giant Lukoil. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between Iraq and Russia in the oil, gas, and energy sectors. Also in attendance were Bassem Mohammed Khudair, Undersecretary for […]
By John Lee. UAE-based venture capital fund EQIQ has announced a $3-million anchor investment in a new digital banking startup led by Iraqi-American finance veteran Hussain Qaragholi (pictured). The total $15-million funding round will support the launch and early growth of the next-generation, AI-driven platform. The new venture aims to transform Iraq's underdeveloped banking sector […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has announced that bank lending to the private sector grew by 1.1% in Q1 2025, reaching IQD 44.1 trillion [$24.5 billion]. This was up from IQD 43.6 trillion in Q4 2024, and reflects a gradual expansion in credit access for individuals and private projects. (Source: CBI)
By John Lee. Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani has directed the advancement of public-private partnerships in Iraq's pharmaceutical sector, with a particular focus on expanding local production of cancer treatments. At a high-level meeting on Sunday with the Minister of Health, advisors, private-sector pharmaceutical producers, and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, the Prime Minister reviewed progress […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Speaker of Parliament Dr Mahmoud al-Mashhadani met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara on Wednesday to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and joint initiatives. Dr al-Mashhadani called for deeper cooperation between the two nations, proposing the activation of parliamentary friendship committees and requesting Turkey to ease residency procedures for […]
