Frank26
[Iraq boots-on-the-ground report]
FIREFLY: TV talking about we are preparing for our 4th meeting to join the WTO...
FRANK: I believe this is the last meeting with the WTO before ascension mainly because everything is in place and so is the WTO. Shoot, they've been putting it in place for 3 meetings
The US Department of Defense confirmed, in an official response to Shafaq News Agency inquiries, that it has sent additional military capabilities to the Middle East. This comes at a time of escalating tensions over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, and amid public threats from Iraqi armed groups loyal to Tehran to target US interests if Washington intervenes on Tel Aviv's behalf.
A Pentagon spokesperson told Shafaq News Agency that the official position issued by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is to enhance the capabilities of the US Central Command (USCENTCOM), without revealing the nature of those capabilities or their locations.
In a separate post, Department of Defense spokesman Sean Parnell explained that "US forces remain in a defensive posture," indicating that Washington is not seeking direct military escalation at this time.
The ministry declined to disclose whether it had engaged directly with the Iraqi government to contain threats posed by armed factions, or the nature of the expected response if US facilities or forces were attacked inside Iraq, referring only to the public statements of senior Pentagon officials.
Prominent Iraqi factions, such as Kata'ib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, have escalated their warning tone, declaring their readiness to target US sites in Iraq and Syria if the United States intervenes militarily against Iran in the ongoing escalation.
The approximately 2,500 US troops deployed in Iraq are deployed as part of a training and support mission for Iraqi forces and the international coalition against ISIS. However, these forces have been the frequent target of missile and drone attacks since 2020, with attacks escalating following the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
The latest US position comes at a time when the region is witnessing an unprecedented escalation on the ground, with Israel and Iran exchanging military strikes amid fears that the conflict could expand to new arenas, most notably Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. link
BROTHER TECHNOLOGY
🍿 The Rate is about to be Dropped🍿
The timing of the Iranian influence in Iraq has left Bagdad.. All indicators showing the rate is finally is about to Pop on the Forex.. 🍿🍿🍿
Keep your EYES PEELED 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
IRAQI FINANCE FIGURES SHOW A “SOFT RENTIER” ECONOMY. ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES?
An Iraqi economist warned on Wednesday against the country’s continued reliance on a rentier economy, noting that it “creates a consumer society” and weakens the national production base. Mohammed al-Hasani told Shafaq News Agency, “A rentier economy is usually weak and produces a consumer society dominated by the import sector, with little interest in manufacturing industries. This is what applies to Iraq.”
Al-Hasani called on the Iraqi government to “work and strive to develop Iraq’s industrial production sectors and diverse agriculture in order to stimulate the country’s foreign trade sector and achieve the highest possible financial revenues that contribute to achieving the highest returns for the national income and the Iraqi state treasury.”
The Iraqi Ministry of Finance revealed that federal budget revenues from January to March 2025 exceeded 27 trillion dinars, with oil accounting for 91% of total revenues.
Tables issued by the Ministry of Finance in June for the first quarter of the year, monitored by Shafaq News Agency, showed that oil remains the primary source of revenue for the general budget, reinforcing the rentier nature of the Iraqi economy.
According to the ministry’s data, total revenues amounted to 27 trillion, 248 billion, 764 million, 196 thousand, and 554 dinars, while total expenditures amounted to 26 trillion, 662 billion, 428 million, 661 thousand, and 44 dinars.
Oil revenues alone amounted to 24 trillion, 911 billion, 906 million, and 926 thousand dinars, equivalent to 91% of total revenues, while non-oil revenues amounted to 2 trillion, 336 billion, 857 million, and 269 thousand dinars.
In March 2021, the Prime Minister’s advisor for financial affairs, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, explained to Shafaq News Agency that the reasons behind the Iraqi economy remaining rentier are due to the wars and economic blockades of the past decades, in addition to the current political conflicts that have squandered economic resources.
Saleh added that the country’s continued reliance on oil as its sole source of revenue makes Iraq vulnerable to global crises that impact oil prices, forcing the country to repeatedly resort to borrowing to cover its deficit. This reflects weak financial management and an inability to develop effective financing alternatives.