Iraq's Oil Ministry plans to station employees of the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) at Kurdistan Region oilfields to monitor actual production and exports, a Kurdish lawmaker told Rudaw on Thursday as discussions over the Region’s share in the federal budget continue.

Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Harakat al-Nujaba on Wednesday rejected proposed parliamentary amendments to a draft law regulating the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), claiming the revisions aim to weaken the state-sanctioned paramilitary network as disputes widen between the armed faction and Baghdad.

A French medical student who joined Islamic State (ISIS) stood trial in a Baghdad criminal court on Wednesday alongside five other French nationals, including a father of four daughters, before a judge who adjourned the hearings over their lack of access to legal counsel. The court has recently sentenced 10 other French nationals for their membership in the group.

An Iraqi anti-corruption court on Wednesday sentenced former prominent member of parliament Alia Nassif to two years in prison for unlawfully profiting from public office, marking her second corruption conviction in less than two months.

Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) said Wednesday that they have arrested a prominent member of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the disputed Kirkuk province as security forces intensify security operations against the militant group.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday departed Baghdad for Bahrain’s capital, Manama, on an official visit to discuss political and economic cooperation, regional developments and efforts to ease tensions, the Iraqi government spokesperson said.

Pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah on Tuesday accused Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government of undermining the country’s sovereignty, alleging corruption in discounted oil sales to the United Arab Emirates, violations of Iraqi airspace by foreign aircraft, and participation in an economic blockade against Iran.

Iraq has reached agreements with US energy giant Chevron on the development of the West Qurna 2 oilfield with aims to finalize the contract by the end of November, as Baghdad seeks to expand US investment in its energy sector.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Tuesday ordered increased electricity and fuel allocations for the city of Kirkuk following protests over power shortages and steep private generator prices.

Uncertainty looms over the future of the conflict-riddened Yazidi heartland of Shingal (Sinjar) amid deepening political disputes between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), with a parliamentary committee intervening to halt a new nomination process over the disputed status of a mayor appointed in 2024.