Iraq: Al-Zaidi orders investigation into oil smuggling suspicions in stronghold of Iran-backed faction
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the formation of an investigative committee into suspicions of oil smuggling in the Jurf al-Sakhar area, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah, amid escalating tensions between him and the armed faction.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the formation of an investigative committee into suspicions of oil smuggling in the Jurf al-Sakhar area, where the Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah is based, according to the Iraqi News Agency. The move comes amid growing tensions between al-Zaidi, who took office this year with American backing and pledged to limit the weapons of Iran-aligned factions, and Kata'ib Hezbollah, which clings to its arms and is considered the most influential faction in Iraq and the closest to Tehran. In recent days, the faction has issued sharply worded statements reaffirming its support for Iran and accusing al-Zaidi of corruption. The agency quoted an unnamed informed source as saying there are "oil smuggling operations from" Jurf al-Sakhar south of the capital, as well as "mechanisms for pipeline breaches, oil storage, and smuggling routes toward Baghdad." It also mentioned intelligence documents and satellite images showing "crude oil and its derivatives smuggling operations by an armed faction (...) uninterrupted for many years," causing "severe losses to public funds and the national economy."