By Al-Fassel | 2026-10-28

Iraq must defend its sovereign economic wealth from foreign exploitation and illicit financial networks that drain critical state resources.

When illicit actors use domestic commercial banks to smuggle currency, they steal money directly from the national treasury.

Every dollar lost to diversion deprives ordinary citizens of functioning hospitals, public schools, clean water, and reliable civic utilities.

By partnering with American officials to expose hostile operations, Baghdad can protect national income and restore domestic economic stability

Curbing banking abuse and fuel smuggling

The Central Bank of Iraq took bold action by barring noncompliant private banks from accessing international dollar clearing auctions.

This enforcement protects domestic banking institutions from international isolation while effectively preserving the purchasing power of the national dinar.

At the same time, authorities must empower the Integrity Commission to audit ministries and uncover corrupt officials facilitating trade.

Corrupt personnel inside key ministries have provided forged origin certificates to foreign smugglers who evade regional petroleum trade sanctions.

Halting this forged paperwork will recover billions in stolen energy revenue that legally belongs to the Iraqi public treasury.

Deploying modern cargo scanners and maritime tracking technology at southern Gulf ports will monitor suspicious oil tanker shipments continuously.

These technological upgrades prevent foreign actors from blending domestic subsidized fuel with illicit oil to bypass regional commercial restrictions.

Effective maritime enforcement strips armed proxy groups of more than one billion dollars in annual black market export revenue.

Strict coastal surveillance directly protects legal Iraqi petroleum exports from severe economic trade penalties imposed by international energy market regulators.

Integrating militia payrolls and border controls

Securing national wealth also requires transferring Popular Mobilization Forces payrolls into the transparent, audited national government salary system.

Enforcing digital biometric verification across all security personnel systematically eliminates thousands of fraudulent ghost soldiers from state rosters.

Eliminating shadow accounts and unregistered personnel ensures that military funding moves exclusively through traceable, verified electronic bank accounts.

This crucial administrative transition confirms that all armed units answer strictly to the direct command of the Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

Denying state money to armed proxy networks protects public treasury coffers and enhances essential civilian security across every Iraqi province.

Enforcing rigorous customs standards and permanently closing unofficial border crossings halts illegal cash smuggling and unauthorized goods transit.

These coordinated domestic policy measures represent essential sovereign decisions required to safeguard Iraq from predatory foreign financial networks.

Reclaiming authority over public finance is not about pleasing foreign partners, but about defending Iraqi wealth for citizens.

Stopping systemic corruption ensures that national oil revenues finance public development rather than funding destructive foreign conflicts.

Iraq can secure an independent, prosperous future by enforcing transparent financial standards and safeguarding sovereign national assets.