A2Z Dreamz Team has vetted and believes all updates in this summary to be true:
Forex Activity: Rate suppression appears to be lifted. New rates have been briefly visible on multiple platforms. The system has passed the point of no return.
Funding Underway • Mr. Salvage: Pentecostal group is actively dispersing funds. • MarkZ: Bond holders are being paid today. • Zester: Travel funds are being dispersed.
• Military confirmation: Bondholders are fully liquid; whales and 4A SKRs are next.
Trigger Groups: trigger groups have been activated and are receiving funds
4A & 4B expected to roll out within minutes or hours of each other. • Large firms and banks confirm liquidity is in place. • Bankers say everything is complete — no further delays expected. • If not released now, a restart would be required, which markets won’t allow.
Iraq's economy is increasingly exposed to external shocks and structural weaknesses following the Iran-Israel war, economist Nabil Al-Marsoumi warned on Saturday.
Al-Marsoumi, a professor of economics at Basra University, stated that insurance premiums on oil tankers from the Gulf to Asia surged by 60% during the 12-day war, while transport costs—particularly to China and India—increased by 195%. These shifts, he noted, highlight Iraq’s vulnerability to geopolitical disruptions in energy supply chains.
He also warned that a prolonged conflict could have forced a closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a key route for most Iraqi oil exports. With the Ceyhan pipeline suspended since March 2023, Iraq would have been left without a viable export
channel.
Kurdistan's Gambit
Al-Marsoumi assessed that halted oil flows from the Kurdistan Region, averaging around 400,000 barrels per day through the Ceyhan pipeline to Turkiye, represent a minor share of national revenue and can be compensated by output from central and southern fields.
However, he emphasized that the more urgent concern lies in the Region’s salary crisis. “There is no legal or fiscal basis for delaying public sector wages,” he said, calling for a revenue-sharing framework that routes all oil and gas income through the federal treasury to ensure timely disbursements.
Regarding the way the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is reportedly to take to cover salaries, he explained that this would be by using internal revenues while reducing employee allowances by 30%—a temporary measure that, in his view, underscores the absence of a political settlementbetween Erbil and Baghdad.
Labor Imbalance
Turning to Iraq’s energy sector contracts, Al-Marsoumi pointed to structural deficiencies in foreign labor agreements. Unlike Iran, which retains over 250 Russian experts at its Bushehr nuclear facility under binding terms, Iraq lacks enforceable retention clauses.
“More than 5,000 foreign nationals currently work in Iraq’s energy sector, often receiving compensation far exceeding local staff despite limited involvement in daily operations,” he noted, adding that this disparity places unnecessary financial strain on national resources.
Al-Marsoumi described Iraq’s business environment as fundamentally unattractive to foreign investors. He cited systemic corruption, armed group influence, weak infrastructure, legal complexity, and widespread rent-seeking as key deterrents.
He rejected government claims of attracting $90 billion in foreign investment as “media posturing,” pointing out that Iraq’s balance of payments shows no evidence of actual capital inflows.
Al-Marsoumi also criticized Iraq’s continued dependence on imported gasoline and gas, calling it a policy contradiction for the world’s second-largest oil producer. He contrasted this with Iran’s heavily subsidized domestic fuel pricing.
“Iraq has made little tangible progress toward energy self-sufficiency. We need structural reform led by political leadership committed to economic diversification. Despite frequent public pledges to develop agriculture and industry, oil revenues continue to account for 91% of the federal budget.”
To reduce external vulnerabilities, he recommended activating alternative export corridors through Turkiye, Syria, and Jordan.
Price Volatility
Al-Marsoumi reported that oil prices declined to around $66 per barrel after the conflict, with May revenues barely covering public payrolls. He urged the government to curb spending and expand non-oil revenue streams.
He cited recent remarks by US President Donald Trump suggesting China could resume imports of Iranian oil—a signal, he argued, of possible sanctions relief that might allow Tehran to export up to 750,000 barrels per day.
Saudi Arabia also plans to increase output by 411,000 barrels per day in response to US calls for lower global oil prices, according to Al-Marsoumi, marking a shift from price stabilization to market share competition, which could push prices down toward $60 per barrel.
Iraq is ready to make a big move into the international financial system...Big business doesn't come into Iraq if there's risk especially if you're going to spend billions of dollars.
You're not going to go into a country that's got significant problems...You can see this isn't the past...It's secure and stable...
If they drop three zeros, reinstate, apply the real effective exchange rate then you're going to have all the fundamentals. Iraq's going to be valued off her fundamentals.
Back in the old days it was oil. Now it's non-oil resources - gas...phosphate, silica, sulfur, gold, uranium, thorium, taxes and tariffs all those things.
Erdogan: We will transform geopolitical potential into economic advantage through a "development path" extending from Iraq to Türkiye and on to Europe.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that his country will work to transform geopolitical potential into an economic advantage through the "Development Road" project extending from Iraq to Turkey and reaching Europe.
Speaking at the Global Transport Corridors Forum held at the Istanbul Congress Center on Friday, Erdoğan expressed his happiness at his country hosting this forum at a critical time witnessing the reshaping of the global trade route, as well as at hosting representatives from 70 countries in Turkey as part of the forum's activities.
He said: "We hope that the forum participants will have the opportunity to discuss many issues, such as cross-border cooperation opportunities, digital transformation steps, infrastructure investments, and the harmonization of transit transport operations, within the framework of the forum."
He stressed that the forum will be an important platform that showcases Turkey's vision and leadership capacity in the field of transportation to the entire world, rather than just an international meeting.
Erdoğan explained that the "Development Road" impact on production will exceed $50 billion within 10 years and is expected to provide an average of 63,000 job opportunities annually.
The Turkish president indicated that geopolitical potential will be transformed into a comprehensive economic advantage that will benefit the entire region through the "Development Road" project.
He explained that the "Development Road" is a land and railway route extending from Iraq to Turkey and its ports, extending 1,200 kilometers within Iraq, and aims to transport goods between Europe and the Gulf states.
Erdoğan noted that tensions in the Middle East and the uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and airspace "reminded us of the importance of safe transport corridors," emphasizing that the importance of logistics lines that facilitate the movement of people and goods in the global economy is growing day by day.
He said, "This approach is the primary motivation behind Turkey's massive investments in land, air, and sea routes, as well as telecommunications and energy lines, particularly over the past 22 years."
He added, "Under our governments, we have invested nearly $300 billion in transportation and communications infrastructure."
He explained that $177 billion of this was spent on highways, $64 billion on railways, $25 billion on airlines, $4 billion on maritime transport, and $25 billion on communications infrastructure.
He added, "The impact of these investments on production has reached $1.65 trillion." Thanks to our investments in transportation, we have also achieved significant increases in employment, and many sectors, from industry to exports, from tourism to logistics, have been positively impacted by these investments."
During his speech, Erdoğan touched on the "Middle Corridor," noting that he expects the trade volume in the Middle Corridor, the railway linking Europe to Asia via Turkey, to reach $75 billion.
Erdoğan explained that the Middle Corridor extends from China to Europe and connects 21 countries via a railway network. It offers transportation twice as fast as maritime routes and nearly four times more economical than air routes.
He pointed out that this project represents a revival of the historic Silk Road, emphasizing the operationalization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, which forms the backbone of the Middle Corridor.
"Alongside all these initiatives, our efforts continue to align the Middle Corridor with the Belt and Road Initiative implemented by the People's Republic of China," Erdoğan continued.
The Middle Corridor is an alternative to the Northern Corridor linking China and Europe. It runs from Turkey to the Caucasus region, then crosses the Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, reaching China.
The Middle Corridor is one of three global trade corridors from China to Europe, the first being the Northern Corridor via Russia, the Southern Corridor via Iran, and the Maritime Corridor via the Suez Canal.
The Middle Corridor is 4,256 km long by road and rail, and 508 km by sea. link