Shafaq News <\/p>\n
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi reached the 100-day mark
\non Friday, August 21, facing a series of longstanding crises that successive
\ngovernments have struggled to resolve, from weapons control and corruption to
\noil exports, water shortages and public finances. <\/p>\n
The milestone offers an early test of whether the
\ngovernment’s stated priorities can translate into measurable results. His
\ncabinet also remains incomplete. Nine of its 23 ministries, including defense,
\ninterior and planning, are still without permanent ministers and remain under
\nacting ministers amid political disputes over candidates and power-sharing
\narrangements. <\/p>\n
Despite the incomplete cabinet, the Council of Ministers
\napproved a 2026-2029 government program containing 139 priorities across 14
\nsectors and 13 major legislative measures. The program is built around the
\nstated goal of establishing a “stable state, productive economy and
\nbalanced partnerships.”<\/p>\n
The scale of the agenda highlights the government’s
\nambition, but it also underscores its central challenge: Iraq’s most difficult
\nproblems require decisions that carry high political, economic, and security
\ncosts.<\/p>\n
Weapons and Sovereignty<\/p>\n
The government’s most politically sensitive challenge is its Speaking to Shafaq News, Khaled Walid, a member of the Washington-based political analyst Ramadan Al-Badran said Read more: Iraq’s disarmament deadline pits Baghdad against Iran-aligned factions<\/a><\/p>\n Al-Badran told Shafaq News that the prime minister is But progress on these fronts remains difficult to measure. Diplomacy as Crisis Management<\/p>\n Al-Zaidi has also intensified Iraq’s regional and The Washington<\/a> visit resulted in 48 agreements and memoranda In Tehran, discussions focused on regional de-escalation and Read more: Iraq and the Mecca Defense Pact: Strategic neutrality or growing isolation? Oil: The Immediate Economic Test<\/p>\n Oil exports remain the government’s most pressing economic Lawmaker Uday Al-Zamili told Shafaq News that the oil export Al-Zamili also sought details on how the Iraqi-Turkish Read more: Iraq-US investment deals depend on implementation, experts say The issue is particularly sensitive because oil revenues The challenge goes beyond maintaining production. Iraq must Iraqi oil shipments are already moving through the Reform Beyond Oil<\/p>\n At the same time, the government is seeking to reduce the Walid described Al-Zaidi’s administration primarily as a He said the government was looking for new ways to increase Al-Zaidi also sought during his July visits to Washington, Water Adds Another Pressure Point<\/p>\n Drought and declining water inflows have placed additional Al-Mufti told Shafaq News that the government is relying on
\neffort to place all weapons under state authority. Al-Zaidi has set September
\n30 as the deadline for completing the process of bringing all weapons under
\nstate control, coinciding with arrangements for the end of the Global
\nCoalition’s military mission. The Coordination Framework<\/a>, which brings together
\nIraq’s main Shiite political forces, agreed in principle to place weapons under
\nstate control. The dispute centers on implementation, guarantees and timing.
\nProposals have included negotiations with Iran-aligned armed factions over
\narrangements for withdrawing heavy weapons and placing them in state-controlled
\nstorage, in an effort to avoid an internal confrontation.<\/p>\n
\nReconstruction and Development Coalition led by former Prime Minister Mohammed
\nShia Al-Sudani, said that weapons control, the withdrawal of foreign forces and
\nprotection of Iraq’s territorial integrity will be the \u201ckey measures by which
\nthe government is judged in the months ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAl-Zaidi inherited challenges accumulated over years while also confronting new
\npressures created by regional developments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n“trying to lay the right foundations” based on national, regional and
\ninternational consensus. He also credited the government with tackling issues
\nthat previous administrations had not addressed with the same level of
\nseriousness, particularly corruption and weapons control. <\/p>\n
\nThe government has established a policy direction, yet implementation will
\ndepend on political consensus, institutional capacity and the willingness of
\npowerful actors to accept greater state control.<\/p>\n
\ninternational diplomacy, travelling to the United States, Iran, and Turkiye,
\nwhile pursuing broader outreach to Arab states to strengthen Baghdad’s ties and
\nshield Iraq from wider confrontation.<\/p>\n
\nof understanding with US and international companies and institutions, covering
\nenergy, investment, infrastructure, technology, healthcare and other sectors. <\/p>\n
\nBaghdad’s potential role as a channel for dialogue, alongside energy,
\nagriculture and bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n
\n <\/a><\/p>\n
\nvulnerability. Disruptions to Iraq’s traditional export routes, combined with
\ntensions between Iran and the United States and instability around the Strait
\nof Hormuz, have added pressure to public finances that remain heavily dependent
\non oil revenues.<\/p>\n
\ncrisis still lacks “effective solutions,” arguing that the government
\nhas so far relied largely on proposals and arrangements whose details have not
\nbeen fully presented to parliament.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\narrangement would work to export around one million barrels per day through
\nTurkish ports, saying parliament needed greater clarity over Iraq’s financial returns
\nand whether the arrangement could also advance other bilateral issues,
\nincluding water and trade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/a><\/p>\n
\ndirectly underpin salaries and public spending. On August 17, Al-Zaidi held an
\nexpanded meeting with oil-sector officials and the oil and finance ministers,
\ncalling for urgent measures to address export routes and the crisis’s effects.<\/p>\n
\nalso ensure that it has reliable routes to international markets and sufficient
\nfinancial flexibility to withstand disruptions. <\/p>\n
\nIraq-Syria border crossings, providing Baghdad with an overland alternative to
\nits traditional export routes. In early May, Iraq launched its first crude oil
\nshipment through the Rabia\u2013Al-Yarubiyah crossing, sending an initial 70 tanker
\ntrucks toward regional markets. Subsequent shipments ranged from 15 to 40
\ntankers a day. <\/p>\n
\nstate’s dependence on oil by increasing non-oil revenues, reforming the
\nbanking, tax and customs systems, and encouraging investment and private-sector
\nactivity.<\/p>\n
\n“government managing a political, economic and security crisis,”
\npointing to the wider consequences of regional conflict and instability.<\/p>\n
\nnon-oil revenues, diversify oil export routes, limit operating expenditure and
\nreform state institutions while strengthening anti-corruption measures. <\/p>\n
\nTehran and Ankara to keep diplomatic channels open and contain the impact of
\nregional tensions on Iraq. But Walid noted that the ultimate measure of the
\ngovernment’s performance will be its ability to turn plans and promises into
\ntangible results. He identified corruption and weapons control as the two
\nissues likely to weigh most heavily on the government’s performance through the
\nend of the year.<\/p>\n
\npressure on Iraq’s already vulnerable water resources. Yet Turhan Al-Mufti, the
\nprime minister’s adviser on water affairs, offers a more positive assessment,
\nsaying water conditions during the summer of 2026 are three to four times
\nbetter than those recorded the previous year.<\/p>\n
\nagreements with Turkiye<\/a>, including a framework agreement on water and a
\nmemorandum on financing water-related projects. He explained that the two
\narrangements are expected to enter into force in September and provide a basis
\nfor more sustainable water supplies.<\/p>\n