{"id":115444,"date":"2026-05-15T15:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/115444\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:53:08","slug":"iraq-forms-new-government-with-only-14-of-23-ministers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/115444\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraq forms new government with only 14 of 23 ministers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Iraq Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi (left) arrives at the Council of Representatives for the vote of confidence on his new government. (Iraqi Prime Minister\u2019s Office<\/a>) <\/p>\n

On May 14, Iraq\u2019s parliament passed<\/a> a vote of confidence in Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi\u2019s government and approved 14 out of 23 ministers. Key ministries, including defense and interior, have not been approved. Zaidi was selected<\/a> as the prime minister-designate on April 27 after being nominated by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-aligned Shiite political parties that constitutes the largest parliamentary bloc. Prior to Zaidi\u2019s selection, the Framework had been unable to reach consensus on choosing a prime minister for over five months following the November 2025 election.<\/p>\n

The ministers that were not approved<\/a> in the vote included planning, higher education, interior, reconstruction and housing, and culture. Parliament did not vote<\/a> on ministers of defense, labor, youth, and migration. Interior and defense, along with oil, finance, and foreign affairs, are the \u201csovereign<\/a>\u201d ministries\u2014important centers of power in Iraq\u2019s government. Reportedly, the remaining ministries will be voted<\/a> on at the end of May after the Eid al Adha holiday.<\/p>\n

Among the ministries yet to be determined, some appointments are sought by parties affiliated with Iran-backed militias. US President Donald Trump\u2019s administration reportedly informed<\/a> officials in Iraq that it would not engage with the government in Baghdad if it included affiliates of Iran-backed terror groups.<\/p>\n

Sadiqoun, the political party affiliated with Asaib Ahl al Haq, an Iran-backed militia and US-designated<\/a> Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), said<\/a> on May 13 that it will decide on participation in Zaidi\u2019s government after the issue of restricting arms to state control is addressed. This position was reportedly supported<\/a> by Esmail Qaani, commander of Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in his visit<\/a> to Baghdad days before the vote of confidence.<\/p>\n

Sadiqoun is a member of the Coordination Framework, while Asaib Ahl al Haq is a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an official Iraqi security institution comprised mostly of Iran-backed militias. Many of these militias and their supporters assent<\/a> to the idea of state control of all arms but consider the PMF the vehicle to achieve this aim by bringing militias under state control via the organization. The United States considers state control of weapons to be a top priority for the next Iraqi government, but opposes using the PMF as the mechanism, since militias within it routinely conduct attacks outside of Iraqi government directives. Several of these militias carried out hundreds<\/a> of attacks on the US presence and interests in Iraq, as well as neighboring<\/a> countries, during the recent war with Iran.<\/p>\n

Both Tom Barrack<\/a>, the US ambassador to Turkey who also leads the Iraq portfolio, and Abbas Araghchi<\/a>, Iran\u2019s foreign minister, congratulated Ali al Zaidi on forming a government.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump, Secretary Rubio, and the United States stand ready to work closely with you and your government to advance our shared goals of prosperity for the Iraqi people and the elimination of terrorism, which is always an impediment to the people\u2019s progress,\u201d Barrack said.<\/p>\n

\u201cExpanding the friendly and fraternal relations between Tehran and Baghdad is always at the top of the priorities of our foreign policy,\u201d Araghchi asserted.<\/p>\n

Ministers confirmed by parliament<\/p>\n

The new heads of the sovereign ministries include<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Minister of Finance Faleh al Sari: Sari was nominated<\/a> by the Al Hikma Movement, which is part<\/a> of the Coordination Framework. Sari pledged<\/a> economic reforms, the protection of public sector workers\u2019 entitlements, and to transition the Iraqi economy to digital payments, an effort that has been a US priority to counter Iran\u2019s exploitation<\/a> of Iraq\u2019s cash-based economy.<\/p>\n

Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein: Hussein has served<\/a> as Iraq\u2019s foreign minister since 2020. He is a Kurdish politician and member<\/a> of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), one of two major Kurdish parties in Iraq.<\/p>\n

Minister of Oil Bassim Muhammad Khudair: Khudair was nominated<\/a> by the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, a Shiite party led by outgoing Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani that is part of the Coordination Framework. He previously served<\/a> as deputy minister for upstream affairs at the Oil Ministry and director general of the Iraqi Drilling Company and Iraq\u2019s Oil Exploration Company. Citing multiple Iraqi and American contacts, Michael Knights, an Iraq expert and head of research at the intelligence platform Horizon Engage, described<\/a> Khudair as \u201cIran\u2019s key interlocutor.\u201d Khudair is from Basra<\/a> Governorate, a production and export hub for Iraq\u2019s oil sector. He will have to confront significant challenges<\/a> for Iraq\u2019s oil sector from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 94% of Iraq\u2019s oil is typically exported to the market.<\/p>\n

The new heads of Iraq\u2019s service ministries include<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Minister of Agriculture Abdul Rahim Jassim Muhammad al-Shammari: Shammari served as a member of parliament from Nineveh, his home governorate, held<\/a> local and security positions, and led<\/a> a Sunni tribal militia to fight the Islamic State in 2014.<\/p>\n

Minister of Communications and Media Mustafa Jabbar Sand: Sand served as a member of parliament and is reportedly<\/a> linked to the Iran-backed FTO Kataib Hezbollah. He was congratulated<\/a> by the US-designated terrorist and militia leader Qais Khazali after being voted into the position. Sand has previously been involved<\/a> in scandals over his aggressive language and public confrontations<\/a>. Iran-backed militias are interested<\/a> in the Iraqi communications sector as a revenue stream and for its access to data.<\/p>\n

Minister of Education Abdul Karim Abtan: Abtan was nominated<\/a> by Taqaddum, a Sunni party led by former Speaker of the Council of Representatives Mohamed al Halbousi. Abtan served as a member of parliament.<\/p>\n

Minister of Electricity Ali Saad Wahib: Wahib previously worked<\/a> in the energy sector and is the youngest<\/a> member of the new cabinet.<\/p>\n

Minister of Environment Sarwa Abdul Wahid: Wahid is a Kurdish politician and the only woman in Zaidi\u2019s cabinet. She is from<\/a> the Kurdish The New Generation Movement<\/a>, which has positioned itself as an alternative to the two major Kurdish parties but received this ministry as part of an agreement with one of them, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).<\/p>\n

Minister of Health Abdul Hussein Aziz Ahmed.<\/p>\n

Minister of Industry Muhammad Nouri al Karbouli: Karbouli was nominated<\/a> by Taqaddum. He is a prominent Sunni politician and previously served<\/a> as governor of Anbar Governorate.<\/p>\n

Minister of Justice Khalid Shwani: Shwani, from the Kurdish PUK, retained the position of justice minister after having served<\/a> in that role under Sudani\u2019s tenure as prime minister.<\/p>\n

Minister of Trade Mustafa Nizar Jumaa: Jumaa was nominated<\/a> by the Sunni Sovereignty party.<\/p>\n

Minister of Transport Wahab Salman Muhammad: Muhammad was nominated<\/a> by the Badr Organization, an Iran-aligned militia led by Hadi al Amiri. Badr is not designated as a terror group by the US, though the US has designated and sanctioned some Badr-linked figures and allied groups.<\/p>\n

Minister of Water Resources and Marshes Muthanna Ali Mahdi: Mahdi was also nominated<\/a> by the Badr Organization.<\/p>\n

Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focusing on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the Houthis.<\/p>\n

Tags: Ali al Zaidi<\/a>, Coordination Framework<\/a>, Iran-Iraq<\/a>, Iraq<\/a>, Iraqi politics<\/a>, US-Iraq<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Iraq Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi (left) arrives at the Council of Representatives for the vote of confidence…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115445,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[14],"tags":[30690,8090,6957,94,24153,27961],"class_list":["post-115444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iraq","tag-ali-al-zaidi","tag-coordination-framework","tag-iran-iraq","tag-iraq","tag-iraqi-politics","tag-us-iraq"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116579402050336734","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}