Karwan Zebari

Had the honor of meeting H.E. Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani), Prime Minister of @Kurdistan. Took the opportunity to update the PM on a wide range of bilateral KRG-US related topics. Grateful to the PM for putting his trust in me along with his support to serve our people.

- The U.S. warned Iraq against including armed factions in the next government. - Washington says over 600 attacks targeted U.S. interests in Iraq since February 2026. - The warning comes as Iraq faces rising political instability and domestic debt exceeding 96 trillion dinars. 🔗 kurdistan24.net/en/story/912840

Quoted here in @AlMonitor 👇🏼 Zaidi’s first litmus test will be whether he can form a cabinet free of militia-linked figures, said Victoria Taylor, the director of the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative and former deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran during the Biden administration.  More challenging, Taylor said, will be to “take the kinds of steps that the US expects to see in terms of bringing the militias under control … given the real entrenchment of these militias into the Iraqi state, into the political system and important areas of the economy.”  al-monitor.com/originals/2026…

US hits Iraqi oil official with sanctions thenationalnews.com/news/us/2026/0…

This is a major step forward and a long time coming. Well done @USTreasury @SecScottBessent 1. A senior Iraqi govt official, a deputy minister, sanctioned. Where that has happened to one, it can now happen to any. And Iraqi cabinet is forming now. 2. That senior govt official and his mass terrorist-financing is explicitly linked to Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), not one of the no-brainer kinetic bad boys like KH, KSS, Nujaba. Right now, AAH wants ministries in govt formation. 3. AAH's main oil smuggler and illicit finance guy, the Magician, hit at the same time. Networks know now: they lost the UAE. They lost US lack of spine and inattention. They lost immunity as Iraqi govt employees. The dam's breaking. home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…

Tough times for Iraq...but good news for the future of its oil sector. China's Zhenhua finds 8.8 billion bbl oil field in Najaf province near the Saudi border. This is a long way from any previous discoveries either in Iraq or Saudi rudaw.net/english/middle…

Rats and rodents are biting babies and infesting camps in Gaza. It’s far worse than the cruise ship but not getting a fraction of coverage. BBC:

A reconstruction by The National Context of April’s export flows puts Iraq’s total hydrocarbon earnings at roughly $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion. Against a monthly salary, pension and welfare bill of about $5.45 billion, April’s revenues covered barely a quarter of Iraq’s core social obligations, before accounting for any capital spending or wider operating costs. Iraq entered April after already recording its worst monthly oil export figures. March revenues had fallen to about $2 billion from 18 million barrels exported, a fraction of February’s $6.8 billion from nearly 100 million barrels, the last full month before the Hormuz closure. April was worse still, down by another 30 to 40 percent from March. The largest April stream came through the Kurdistan pipeline to Ceyhan in Turkey, running at around 160,000 to 200,000 barrels per day. SOMO’s director general stated this on April 29, and Iraq’s deputy oil minister confirmed a figure of roughly 200,000 bpd on May 2. Applied across April, that implies 4.8 million to 6 million barrels, priced broadly in line with the April Brent benchmark of about $116 per barrel. Southern seaborne exports were almost nonexistent. The Hormuz closure made normal Basra terminal operations effectively impossible. Instead, Iraq moved only two exceptional tanker cargoes: the Agios Fanourios I, which loaded roughly 2 million barrels around April 17, the first southern cargo since the closure, followed by the HELGA, which loaded another 2 million barrels late in the month. SOMO acknowledged that only limited quantities moved through Basra ports during April. This was not a resumed export stream. It was two shipments. The Jordan route through Trebil continued at around 10,000 to 15,000 bpd, yielding perhaps 300,000 to 450,000 barrels across the month. The fourth route was structurally different: a fuel oil trucking corridor from Iraq’s al-Waleed border post in Anbar into Syria’s al-Tanf, with cargo destined for Baniyas. Between 500 and 700 tanker trucks crossed daily, each carrying around 30 metric tons. Those figures align closely with SOMO contracts for about 650,000 metric tons of high-sulfur fuel oil per month, signed with four Iraqi traders for April through June. This route cannot be priced like crude. The relevant benchmark is Mediterranean 3.5 percent fuel oil, around $415 per metric ton in April, minus contract discounts of $155 to $170 per ton. That leaves a net price to Iraq of roughly $245 to $260 per ton, or about $37 to $40 per barrel equivalent. At that level, the Waleed-Tanf volumes generated an estimated $110 million to $170 million in April, only a fraction of what the same volume would have earned as crude. The Rabia-Yarubiya crossing, although reopened in late April, does not meaningfully factor into April’s figures. The first documented oil movement through it, involving 70 tanker trucks, occurred on May 1. For comparison, February’s oil revenues stood at $6.8 billion. March fell to $2 billion. April’s best estimate is around $1.3 billion, including roughly $140 million from fuel oil sold at a steep discount. More: thenationalcontext.com/iraqs-oil-reve…

Iraq Is Envisioning New Oil Pipelines — But They Are Likely a Pipe Dream New FDD Insight by @BridgetKToomey: bit.ly/4tNR5Dt

‼️ A senior State Department official on #Iraq : I think that the Iraqi leaders, including the Prime Minister-designate, understand what the United States is looking for. We’re looking for action, not words.   There is a very blurry line right now between the Iraqi state and these militias. And it would start with expelling terrorist militias from any state institution, cutting off their support from the Iraqi budget, denying salary payments to these militia fighters. Those are the type of concrete actions that would give us confidence and say that there's a new mindset.   Certain elements of the Iraqi state have continued to provide political, financial and operational cover for these very terrorist militias. I'm not underestimating the severity of the challenge or what it would take to disentangle these relationships. It could start with a clear and unambiguous statement of policy that the terrorist militias are not part of the Iraqi state.   We experienced more than 600 attacks against U.S. facilities in Iraq during the regional conflict.

The long-time US strategy of leaning on the Kurds for Middle East leverage is over as Washington seeks to build up central state power.

Washington should maintain red lines for Iraq’s government formation, such as allowing no militiamen into the cabinet or senior positions. Zaidi’s obscurity makes his personal motivations and ambitions an unknown, explains @BridgetKToomey: fdd.org/analysis/2026/…

DOLLAR FREEZE: The Trump admin is reportedly blocking cash shipments to Iraq following Iran-backed proxy attacks on U.S. interests. This comes as the DOJ announces a $10M bounty for the leader of the pro-Iran Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya terror group. foxnews.com/world/trump-ad…

The US on Monday announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on Haydar Muzhir al-Saidi, better known as Haider al-Gharawi, the leader of Iraq’s Iran-backed Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA) militia group thenewregion.com/posts/5217

Events in the Strait of Hormuz remind us that we’re in a new era of geoeconomics, where economic security must be at the top of our foreign policy agenda. My words in @TheEconomist ⬇️ economist.com/by-invitation/…

Since the 2005 elections, Iraq's Shiite factions have faced major disputes over the selection of the federal prime minister. This is largely because the financial power granted to the office increases year after year, particularly the spending authority, which has recently exceeded 9.3 trillion Iraqi dinars (around $7.15 billion) annually. rudaw.net/english/analys…

809 Drone and Missile Attacks Target the Kurdistan Region; 20 Civilian Fatalities Reported Between 28 February and 20 April 2026, the Kurdistan Region was subjected to 809 attacks. These resulted in the deaths of 20 civilians and left 123 others injured. According to data from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Department of Media and Information, despite the Kurdistan Region’s neutrality in regional conflicts, civilians and the private sector suffered the greatest human and material losses. The breakdown by geography and type of attack is as follows: Erbil Governorate: Erbil Governorate experienced the highest number of attacks, with a total of 477 incidents. These included 419 drone strikes and 58 missile strikes. As a result, 10 civilians were killed and 83 others were injured. In addition, 726 residents suffered material damage to their homes, vehicles and businesses. Slemani and Halabja Governorates: A total of 235 attacks targeted Slemani and Halabja governorates, including 194 drone strikes and 41 missile strikes. These incidents resulted in 3 civilian deaths and 6 injuries. Additionally, dozens of people were affected in 24 attacks specifically directed at civilian locations. Soran District: Soran district was hit by 68 attacks, including 59 drone strikes and 9 missile strikes. These resulted in the deaths of 7 civilians and injuries to 34 others, while 35 residents suffered material losses. Duhok Governorate: Duhok was targeted by 29 attacks, all carried out using drones. Private sector companies were targeted on more than 13 occasions, and significant damage was inflicted on residential properties. The report emphasises that these attacks were carried out against civilian areas under various unfounded pretexts. While the international community has consistently condemned such actions, a formal request has been submitted to the federal government in Baghdad to hold the perpetrators accountable and safeguard the sovereignty of both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. Department of Media and Information

Erbil Advances 78-Kilometer Green Belt Project as Initial Phase Nears Completion The Kurdistan Regional Government announced the imminent completion of the Green Belt’s first phase, planting 700,000 saplings across 4,200 dunams (approx. 1037 acres) to reduce emissions and control urban expansion. Read More: kurdistan24.net/en/story/91022…

@shellykittleson @Rowaida_Abdel @TheAtlantic We're all so glad of your safe return. Washing you speedy recovery and hop to see to in Kurdistan soon.

Mine for @TheAtlantic on being snatched off a Baghdad street on March 31, beaten, blindfolded and ziptied, and spending over a week as a hostage in handcuffs and in pain from multiple rib fractures sustained the first day. Alhamdullilah I am out now and healing. And I still love Iraq, dearly. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/…

Hitting the money isn't a bad start. I do wonder what other sanctions may be dropped going forward. Important to recall how ingratiated Iran-backed/controlled Iraqi Shia militias are with the Iraqi state. nytimes.com/2026/04/21/wor…

By @SirwanKajjo The United States Exiting Kurdish Syria Is a Mistake meforum.org/mef-observer/t…