Iraq Blames U.S. For Power Shortages To Defer From Its Own Failings

PM Sudani recently announced a new deal to ensure Iranian natural gas and electricity imports and then Tehran cut supply three weeks later (Reuters)

During the summer Iran once again began cutting back its natural gas exports to Iraq which is dependent upon them to generate electricity. The ruling Coordination Framework blamed the United States for not allowing Baghdad to pay Tehran but in reality it was due to technical problems. Still, the Sudani government responded with a vague deal to trade Iraqi oil for Iranian gas which has plenty of problems with it. This was all theater however as the prime minister and the Framework wanted to defect blame from themselves and Iran for electricity shortages during the scorching summer.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 31 Foreign companies divided up Iraq’s petroleum concession

(Wikipedia)

 

1918 UK oil expert Adm Slade wrote 1^st Lord of the Admiralty Sir Geddes that UK should seize as

much oil as possible which included fields in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 30 Pres Bakr accused PM Naif and Defense Minister of trying to overthrow govt PM Arrested Allowed Bakr to consolidate power Saddam appointed Dep Sec Gen of Baath Party

(Southworld)

 

762 Construction of Round City of Baghdad began by Abbasid Empire

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 29 Assyrian leader Mar Shimun said he was being detained by govt and would go to League of Nations if Baghdad did nothing about Assyrian demands

(Wikipedia)

 

1933 Assyrian leader Mar Shimun wrote letter to Interior Min Said he was being detained He would

help settle Assyrians If govt did nothing he would go to League of Nations and advocate for Assyrians to leave Iraq Letter sent to ambassadors in Iraq embarrassing govt

(Musings On Iraq review The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 28 Iranian Revolutionary Guard invaded Kurdistan to fight KDPI Left behind weapons and equipment for PUK to use vs KDP

(Getty Images)

 

1823 Ottomans and Safavids signed peace treaty that set border between two empires after

Persian invasion of Iraq failed

Review Baghdad, City of Peace, City of Blood, A History In Thirteen Centuries

Marozzi, Justin, Baghdad, City of Peace, City of Blood, A History In Thirteen Centuries, Boston: da Capo Press, 2014

 

Justin Marozzi’s Baghdad, City of Peace, City of Blood, A History In Thirteen Centuries as the title suggests is a tale about Baghdad from ancient times to the present. Half of the book is on the Abbasid Dynasty which made Baghdad its capitol and is considered the golden age of the city. It is not a scholarly book and Marozzi has a real flair for writing which makes it an easy read. His thesis is in the title as well as he discusses the highs and lows of Baghdad.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 27 VP Abdul Mahdi’s bodyguards robbed bank in Baghdad Executed 8 guards

(Getty Images)

 

1912 Work began building railway through Mesopotamia financed by Germany

This Day In Iraqi History Jul 26 Report Iraqi officer said order given to kill all Islamic State prisoners in Battle of Mosul

(BBC)

 

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote that Baghdad started the 1920 Revolt but not lost control of it when tribes

rose up and they listened to no one Baghdad did not start revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

Climate change induced displacement increases in Iraq

(IOM)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the premier group working with the Iraqi government on the country’s displaced (IDP) problem. In recent years it has been documenting a new phenomenon which is people being forced out of their homes by climate change. The United Nations said Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country to the environmental crisis.  In a July report the IOM noted that this new IDP population is increasing.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 25 Saddam told Amb Glaspie US plotting against him and that he would act against Kuwait if it didn’t give into his demands Glaspie warned him not to use force

(Assoc for Diplomatic Studies & Training)

 

1915 British took Nasiriya

Security In Iraq Jul 15-21, 2023

The Islamic State barely operates in Iraq these days. The third week of July was another example of that. There were only 2 security incidents reported compared to 3 the second week of July and just 1 the first week. This was the 24th straight week that incidents were in single digits. Overall 26 of the 27 weeks so far in 2023 have seen single digit violence.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 24 Treaty of Lusanne said League of Nations would decide whether Mosul vilayet went to Iraq or Turkey

 

1920 France occupied Syria Defeated King Faisal’s forces leading him to flee Would set sites on

Mesopotamia afterward

(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 23 US envoy to Iraq McGurk told Congress when US warned Maliki govt ISI about to attack Mosul Said situation under control Refused help from peshmerga to secure city

(ABC News)

 

1401 Tamerlane and Tartars took Baghdad for 2^nd time Ordered his men to bring him the heads of 2

Baghdadis Were said to be 120 towers of skulls afterwards Ordered city to be flattened Was in revenge for city standing up to him

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 22 After assuming power Saddam claimed there was a Syrian coup against him and purged the Baath Party of his opponents by having them executed

(YouTube)

 

1920 Albu Hassan took Kifil from British 1920 Revolt All of Mid-Euphrates under tribal control

except for Hillah Babil

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 21 Natl Sec Adv Hadley began review of US Iraq strategy Would take 6 months and lead to Surge

(RHGM)

 

1920 Kufa was surrounded by rebels 1920 Revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

Review Britain In Iraq, Contriving King and Country

Sluglett, Peter, Britain In Iraq, Contriving King and Country, London, New York: I.B. Tauris, 2007

 

This is the revised version of Peter Sluglett’s Britain in Iraq, Contriving King and Country. Sluglett’s goal was to explain how England occupied and administered Mesopotamia during World War One and then created the nation of Iraq under a League of Nation’s mandate. Britain wanted to protect its routes to India, defend the oil fields in Iraq and Persia, and establish an Iraqi government that was under London's influence. The British achieved all three of those goals while causing long term problems for Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 20 Ayatollah Khomeini endorsed ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War

(Wikipedia)

 

1920 Pro-Independence delegation of Iraqis met UK High Commissioner Wilson who invited 20

pro-British Iraqis Meeting went nowhere British later tried to arrest pro-independence delegates

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

Malaysia’s Petronas Latest Oil Company To Want Out Of Iraq

Malaysia’s Petronas told the Oil Ministry it wants to sell its share in the Gharraf oil field in Dhi Qar. Petronas won the contract for Gharraf in a December 2009 auction. The company has been unhappy with the business conditions in Iraq and is the latest energy firm to try to leave as a result.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 19 Qasim started crackdown on Communists hoping to limit their power

(Historica Wiki)

 

1733 Safavid siege of Baghdad ended by Ottoman relief force

Sadr Finally Returns To The Political Scene By Telling His Followers To Protest In The Streets

(Bas News)

One of the big questions in Iraqi politics was when was Muqtada al-Sadr going to return to the scene. He did so at the end of June telling his followers to protest against the burning of a Quran in Sweden. In early July they were back attacking their rivals.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 18 Iran and Iraq agreed to ceasefire to end Iran-Iraq War

(Getty Images)

 

1921 Christian Jewish Muslim notables had meeting at Grad Rabbi’s house in Baghdad Gave

support for Faisal to be king after much lobbying by Gertrude Bell

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

Security In Iraq Jul 8-14, 2023

Security remained unchanged in Iraq during the second week of July. The Islamic State remains at its lowest point in its history and the insurgency is largely over.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 17 Gen Bakr led Baathist coup overthrowing Arif govt

(Wikipedia)

 

869 Deposed Abbasid Caliph Mutazz executed by Turkish soldiers

(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s greatest dynasty)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 16 Saddam told chiefs of staff he was going to invade Iran

(Vanity Fair)

 

1919 UK India Office official Sir Hirtzel told chief political officer in Iraq Wilson there was

going to be an Arab state in Iraq or there would be a revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 15 PM Nuri al-Said killed in aftermath of 1958 coup

(Wikipedia)

 

1914 US consulate in Baghdad reported Sayid Talib and Ottoman forces attacked Sheikh

Ajaimi of Montafiq Confederation in Zubayr Basra vilayet Talib won battle and took town Gave Talib de facto control of all of Basra Led to dismissal of Ottoman governor of vilayet

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 14 Gen Qasim and Col Arif overthrew the monarchy in a coup

(Wikipedia)

 

1915 US consulate report Worried that sectarian war might start with Shiites turning on

Sunni Ottomans due to troubles in Karbala and Najaf

Review Last Days in Babylon, The Exile of Iraq’s Jews, the Story of My Family

Benjamin, Marina, Last Days in Babylon, The Exile of Iraq’s Jews, the Story of My Family, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney: Free Press, 2006

 

Last Days in Babylon, The Exile of Iraq’s Jews, the Story of My Family by Marina Benjamin is part history and part personal narrative. The author’s family was one of thousands of Iraqi Jews who left their country in the 1950s due to growing anti-semitism. Benjamin goes through the overall history of Iraq’s Jews and draws comparisons with her own family’s experiences.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 13 Iranian troops invaded Iraq 1st time in Iran-Iraq War

(Getty Images)

 

1920 Tribal forces surrounded British garrison at Abu Skhair during 1920 Revolt

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 12 Zarqawi told fmr mentor Maqdisi important to attack Shiites more than non-Muslims Accused Shiites of starting sectarian violence

(Wikipedia)

 

1923 1^st Parliamentary elections resumed after protests by Shiite clergy led to delay

Iraq Earns Second Lowest Oil Revenues This Year In June

Oil prices for Iraqi crude have stagnated since December 2022 while exports have been flat for the last year and a half.

This Day In Iraqi History – Jul 11 Saddam took over leadership of Iraq after Pres Bakr resigned as head of Revolutionary Command Council

(Wikimedia)

 

869 Abbasid Caliph Mutazz confronted by Turkish soldiers who wanted to be paid Mutazz beaten

and forced to resign Muhtadi became new caliph

(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s greatest dynasty)

Security In Iraq Jul 1-7, 2023

The first week of July was another example of how the insurgency in Iraq is nearly dead. There was only 1 reported security incident during the week. That was the 22^nd straight week where incidents were in single digits. It also tied for the fewest attacks in one week since 2003.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 10 PM Abadi declared Mosul freed from IS after 9 months Fighting continued in city

 

1920 Lead political officer in Iraq Wilson sent telegram to India Office Said threat to Iraq was

external coming from Turkey Syria Bolsheviks

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 9 Al Qaeda’s Zawahiri told Zarqawi should include more Iraqis in his group and warned against killing Iraqi civilians which could cost him support

(AFP)

 

1920 UK forces withdrew from Najaf turning over city to rebels who set up their own govt

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 8 Saddam survived assassination attmpet in Dujail Would destroy town 1500 people arrested 150 executed

Pictures of Dujail victims (Guardian)

 

1920 Rebels derailed 6 trains going from Diwaniya to Samawa to disrupt flow of British troops and

supplies

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 7 Iraq’s concealment committee decided to reveal that Iraq had a nuclear program to UN inspectors while secretly destroying its WMD stockpiles Would prove long term problem because Baghdad could never prove it got rid of its weapons

(BBC)

 

1921 American consul in Baghdad wrote that Faisal would become King of Iraq even though he                          was unpopular in the country

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 6 Saddam Hussein told Baath leadership he was going to invade Iran

(Biography)

 

1915 UK took Suq al-Shuyuk, Dhi Qar after defeating Turk-Arab forces outside town day

before

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 5 1920 Revolt leaders demanded full independence for Iraq

(Shia Waves)

 

1915 British attacked Turk-Arab force outside Suq al-Shuyuk and defeated them

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 4 Islamic State’s Baghdadi declared caliphate from Mosul Said ISIS would now be Islamic State and he was Caliph Ibrahim

(AP)

 

1917 Al-Arab paper established Said it was for Arabs but was actually run by British eventually

under Gertrude Bell

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

Violence Continues To Drop In Iraq In Jun 2023

For the second month violence has dropped in Iraq. There were just 10 security incidents reported in June 2023. That was the second lowest monthly total since 2003. The lowest was in March when there were only 9 incidents. This is the latest sign that the Islamic State is near dormant in the country.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 3 IS car bomb in Baghdad set off fire in mall Killed 324 Wounded 200 One of the deadliest bombings

(AFP/Getty Images)

 

1923 35 clerics and religious students left Iraq for Persia to protest deportation of cleric Khalisi for his

opposition to parliamentary elections  

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 2 ISIS leader Baghdadi declared caliphate established

(AP)

 

1922 Law passed to establish political parties in Iraq

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 1 IS released recording declaring a new caliphate

 

1920 British army facing revolt in Rumaitha told no reinforcements coming because railways

destroyed Railway fixed and reinforcements arrived later that day

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)