
National Security Adviser, FSC president Discuss Joint Issues
National Security Adviser, Qasim Al-Araji, met with the President of the Federal Supreme Court, Judge Jassim Al-Amiri, on Wednesday to discuss joint issues between the advisory office and the court.
According to a statement from Al-Araji's office, received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the meeting focused on shared legal and security matters, aiming to strengthen the role of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law and safeguarding citizens' rights.
During the talks, Al-Araji praised the Iraqi judiciary for its role in ensuring justice and reinforcing the authority of law, emphasizing that a strong judicial system contributes to social cohesion, national security, and stability.

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Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq's top judge warns treaty chaos after Khor Abdullah ruling
Shafaq News – Baghdad Iraq's top judicial authority warned on Wednesday that the Federal Supreme Court's decision to invalidate a 2013 law endorsing the maritime border agreement with Kuwait could unravel hundreds of international treaties ratified over the past two decades. Chief Justice Faiq Zidan, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, issued a sharply worded article titled 'The Waves of Khor Abdullah Between Two Contradictory Rulings,' criticizing the Federal Court's reversal of its 2014 ruling on the Khor Abdullah agreement. In September 2023, the Federal Court ruled the law ratifying the agreement unconstitutional, citing the need for a two-thirds parliamentary majority—an interpretation that differs from its earlier stance requiring only a simple majority. That shift, Zidan warned, could retroactively invalidate more than 400 international treaties approved under the previous standard. 'If the two-thirds requirement is adopted as a precedent, then every treaty ratified by a simple majority becomes null, dismantling Iraq's entire international legal framework built over the past 20 years,' Zidan wrote. The chief justice stressed that the ruling jeopardizes Iraq's legal credibility, particularly as the Khor Abdullah agreement is already lodged with the United Nations. 'The decision undermines the legal stability of international commitments and could expose Iraq to potential liabilities,' he warned. Zidan also questioned the Federal Court's authority to reverse its own final ruling. He noted that while Iraq's legal system allows for 'judicial reversals' in rare cases, these are strictly limited to abstract legal principles—not binding judgments—and must follow rigorous procedures handled only by the General Assembly of the Federal Court of Cassation. 'The Federal Court granted itself an extraordinary power through Article 45 of its internal bylaw, allowing it to reverse previous principles if public interest demands. However, internal regulations cannot override constitutional or legislative authority,' he argued. Moreover, Zidan said the court misapplied that internal rule by revoking an entire ruling—rather than a legal principle—as its 2023 decision invalidated the 2014 judgment that had recognized the agreement's constitutionality. 'This is a legal overreach,' Zidan wrote. 'By annulling a final decision, the court violated the doctrine of res judicata and generated a legislative vacuum and diplomatic confusion.' The Khor Abdullah dispute has already strained Iraq-Kuwait relations. But Zidan's article expands the scope of concern. 'The 2014 ruling was aligned with constitutional provisions and international law, providing legal certainty both domestically and globally,' Zidan concluded. 'In contrast, the 2023 ruling lacks a constitutional basis and poses significant legal and diplomatic consequences.'


Rudaw Net
2 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Rubio tells Sudani important to pay KRG salaries 'consistently'
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'The Secretary noted the importance of paying Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) salaries consistently,' read a statement from State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Sudani's office has yet to comment on the phone call. Tensions between Baghdad and Erbil escalated in late May when the federal finance ministry suspended transfers, accusing the KRG of exceeding its 12.67 percent share of the federal budget and failing to deliver the agreed oil volumes to Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO). The freeze affected more than 1.2 million public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region. Last week, the federal and regional governments reached a new deal over financial and oil disputes following the failure of several similar deals in the past. The Iraqi government approved the agreement during a cabinet meeting and decided to resume the disbursement of the salaries of KRG's civil servants on Tuesday. The payment will only cover the month of May, and the disbursement of salaries for the remaining months will depend on how the agreement is implemented moving forward. The Erbil-Baghdad agreement also includes the resumption of KRG's oil exports. The process has been halted since March 2023 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated the 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin exporting oil independently in 2014. Under the agreement, the KRG must export its entire oil output through Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), keeping 50,000 barrels daily for local use. In return, Baghdad is expected to make budget transfers and provide refined fuel if needed. The KRG is also obligated to hand over 120 billion Iraqi dinars (nearly $92 million) in non-oil revenues monthly for May. Washington has been pressuring Erbil and Baghdad to resume the Kurdish oil exports. Rubio told Sudani during the phone call that it is also important to resume the flow of the Kurdish oil to international markets through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline, Bruce said in the statement. Kurdistan Region has come under nearly 20 drone attacks, including strikes on its oil fields, in recent weeks. The KRG has blamed Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) for the drone attacks, a charge Baghdad has denied. The drones were seen by many as a pressure tactic by pro-Iran groups on the Kurdish government to make compromises to the federal government during negotiations over the resumption of the KRG's oil exports. The attacks have stopped since both governments finalized the agreement on Thursday. The Rubio-Sudani phone call focused on the drone attacks. Some of the targeted sites are operated by US companies. Rubio 'stressed the importance of the Iraqi government holding the perpetrators accountable and preventing future attacks,' Bruce noted in her statement. The attacks have been condemned internationally and locally, including by the US, UK and UN. The Iraqi government has launched an investigation into the strikes but has yet to announce the results. The federal parliament failed to discuss the matter on Monday after Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the session for unknown reasons. Rudaw has learned that some Kurdish parliamentarians feared that the Shiite factions could exploit the session to add a pending bill seeking more rights for the PMF members. The PMF was established in 2014 during the Islamic State group (ISIS) blitz, which saw the group seize control of large parts of Iraq's north and west. Although the PMF has been integrated into the security apparatus, the inclusion of some pro-Iran groups and their failure to answer to Sudani as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces has concerned Washington. The Iraqi government in February sent a bill to the parliament to further institutionalise the PMF, including retirement rights. 'The Secretary also reiterated serious U.S. concerns with the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) bill currently pending in the Council of Representatives (COR), emphasizing that any such legislation would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty,' Bruce said. Rubio later said on X that he told Sudani that he desires to see an Iraq 'free of Iran's pernicious influence." Spoke with Iraqi PM Sudani about the recent attacks against oil companies in Iraq, including U.S. companies. We support a prosperous Iraq, free of Iran's pernicious influence. — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 23, 2025 Iran is believed to have many proxy groups in Iraq, which it has used in the past to target US interests in the region. Washington has taken several measures to ensure that Baghdad is free of Tehran's influence, including the termination of a waiver which had allowed Iraq to buy Iranian electricity for years.


Rudaw Net
2 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
US says attacks on Kurdistan Region ‘unacceptable'
Also in World Rubio tells Sudani important to pay KRG salaries 'consistently' Brawl breaks out between pro-Damascus, Kurdish rallies in Germany's Dusseldorf US encourages Iraq to end tensions with Kurdistan Region US orders return of Baghdad embassy, Erbil consulate staff WASHINGTON DC - The United States warned on Wednesday that attacks on Kurdistan Region are 'unacceptable' amid increasing drone assaults on the Region's oil fields, including those operated by American companies. 'These kinds of attacks in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are unacceptable. We've expressed our dismay and our problem with them,' US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw during a press briefing. Several oil fields in the Kurdistan Region have been struck with explosive-laden drones in the last three days. At least four drone attacks were reported in Duhok province on Wednesday. Kurdistan Region's natural resources ministry said the recent attacks on Kurdistan Region's oil sector has caused a "significant material loss." It condemned the attacks and reiterated its call on the federal government to take action to stop these attacks. Aziz Ahmad, Deputy Chief of Staff to Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, said on X late Wednesday that the Region has lost nearly 200,000 barrels of oil production 'after a spate of drone attacks by criminal militias on the Iraqi government payroll.' He added that five oil fields, including two operated by US companies, have been struck so far. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) 'welcomed U.S. investment and companies. Now, those same investors are being pushed out in a calculated campaign to economically strangle us,' Ahmad noted, blaming Washington for denying the KRG the necessary tools to defend its energy and civilian infrastructure. 'We need them now to help us defend ourselves — we know exactly who's behind these attacks and where they're coming from.' Drone strikes in the Kurdistan Region have increased since the outbreak of a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that began on June 13 and ended with a US-brokered ceasefire. While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, the Region's interior ministry in early July accused the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) of involvement - a charge dismissed by Baghdad as 'unacceptable.' Erbil-Baghdad financial dispute The Iraqi government has not paid the KRG's share from the federal budget since May due to financial disputes between both governments. Despite ongoing talks between both sides, they have yet to reach a final agreement. The KRG's Council of Ministers on Wednesday convened and announced that it has reached a new "understanding" with Baghdad aimed at resolving the ongoing budget dispute that has left more than 1.2 million public employees in the Kurdistan Region without salaries for over two months. 'We have been vocal regarding actions that have happened with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, we've made it clear that we expect Iraq to withdraw certain dynamics that they apply to the Kurds when it comes to issues of salaries and oil distribution, etcetera,' Bruce told Rudaw during the Wednesday press briefing.