Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj This month, especially this week, the volume of Gulf oil transported to world markets, from the Strait of Hormuz, has been somewhat close to the volume of oil transported before the war. But oil prices have not yet returned to pre-war levels, which is in part in the interests of Gulf oil sellers, except Iran. How did this happen In May, the UAE decided not to surrender to Iran and would find a way to sell its oil. To this end, he undertook a complex and adventurous process. He prepared a series of ships to transport the oil, in an intermittent manner, that is, a ship carrying the oil from the UAE passes through the Oman Strait in Hormuz, then another ship waits outside Hormuz, the oil is transported from the first ship to the second. The first ship will then return to the UAE to carry more oil for ships waiting outside the Strait of Hormuz. Ships turn off radar signals in the process. The US Centcom fully supported the plan from the beginning and took over militarily...

What happens to Iraq and Kurdistan after the American security umbrella disappears?  Iraq and Kurdistan enter a new security era as US forces withdraw, ISIS remains active and regional power competition intensifies. Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj 29 September 2026 The withdrawal of the remaining U.S.-led coalition forces from Iraq by September 30 marks more than the end of an American military presence. It marks the beginning of a new security phase in which Iraq and the Kurdistan Region will carry a greater share of the responsibility for containing threats that, for more than a decade, have been managed with substantial American military, intelligence, surveillance and air-support capabilities. The significance of the withdrawal therefore cannot be measured simply by the number of American soldiers leaving Iraq. The more important question is what happens to the security architecture that developed around their presence. Iraq is not the Iraq of 2011, and the Islamic State is not the organiza...

Iranian military preparations, Iraq tensions, Hormuz pressure and regional security developments intensify across the Middle East. Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj 28 September 2026 The regional security environment on 28 September is marked by simultaneous military preparations, domestic pressure, maritime tensions and political confrontation across Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Israel. Iran has increased the frequency and intensity of official messaging while also taking measures involving shelters, essential supplies, transportation, fuel and domestic financing. At the same time, reported US military movements involve Israel, the United Kingdom and Italy. These developments are occurring alongside tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, demonstrations in Iraq, armed incidents in Syria, continued fighting between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and renewed controversy surrounding Israel and the Palestinian territories. The significance of the current environment lies not in any single announcement but in the n...

 Kurdistan citizens’ public opinion reflects growing apathy, indifference and declining confidence in political influence and participation. Economic difficulties cannot explain “why people are staying away from the political process” alone, because the results of new polls point to a deeper problem: citizens are increasingly skeptical about whether institutions are listening to them, meeting their demands, or allowing their participation to make a difference. For many years in the Kurdistan Region (political concerns) have been interpreted primarily through economic difficulties. “Salary delays, inflation and rising prices, unemployment, lack of public services and the uncertainty that has swept over relations between Erbil and Baghdad” have unexpectedly occupied public debate. This interpretation is not wrong, but it is not complete either A new public opinion poll, conducted by Sabay Research Center in June 2026 across the Kurdistan Region, presents a more complex and somewhat d...

  The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) conducted a daytime operation against an ISIS cell in a residential neighbourhood of Altun Kupri, Kirkuk. Two cell members wearing explosive belts were killed during the confrontation, and a third was reportedly arrested. A child near the scene was also killed. The operation followed a period of surveillance and was intended to capture the cell’s members. According to some sources, unmanned aircraft supported the monitoring through intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. These were reportedly CH-4 or CH-5 aircraft belonging to Squadron 100, although neither the aircraft type nor the unit has been confirmed. The cell reportedly provided logistical support to ISIS hideouts in the area. It is also suspected of involvement in an attack on a local Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) headquarters approximately one month earlier, which killed one PMF member. During the arrest operation, two cell members were found to be weari...

Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj  Jurf al-Sakhar remains Iraq’s most opaque enclave, shaped by armed-group control, displacement and unresolved questions of state authority Jurf al-Sakhar has become one of Iraq’s most opaque territories. Located between Baghdad and Babil province, the area has remained largely inaccessible since Iraqi forces and armed factions declared it cleared of Islamic State (IS) fighters in 2014. Its residents were displaced, access was restricted, and the area was progressively sealed off. Twelve years later, the central question remains remarkably simple: what has happened inside Jurf al-Sakhar, and who ultimately controls it? The lack of access has made the area a subject of persistent speculation and competing reports. Armed groups have surrounded it with security barriers, while journalists, former residents and outside observers have had limited ability to establish what is happening behind those barriers. The result is an unusual situation in which an area formally ...