A sweeping investigation published by The Washington Post on Tuesday after years of digging and legal battles with the U.S. government shows that at least 15 retired American generals and admirals have worked as paid consultants for Saudi Arabia’s ministry of defense since 2016.
“Saudi Arabia’s paid advisers have included retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, a national security adviser to President Barack Obama, and retired Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who led the National Security Agency under Obama and President George W. Bush,” the Postreported, citing more than 4,000 pages documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) filings.
The Post noted that it “sued the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the State Department in federal court” in pursuit of the documents, which the outlet finally obtained after a protracted legal fight.
“Congress permits retired troops as well as reservists to work for foreign governments if they first obtain approval from their branch of the armed forces and the State Department,” the newspaper pointed out. “But the U.S. government has fought to keep the hirings secret. For years, it withheld virtually all information about the practice, including which countries employ the most retired U.S. service members and how much money is at stake.”
In total, the Post found that “more than 500 retired U.S. military personnel—including scores of generals and admirals—have taken lucrative jobs since 2015 working for foreign governments” such as Saudi Arabia, Libya, Turkey, and Kuwait, mostly with the official approval of U.S. military branches.
“Records show they rarely reject a job request,” the Post found.
The Post did highlight some cases of ex-military officials taking “foreign jobs or gifts without notifying the U.S. government at all,” citing the prominent example of retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a Trump loyalist and fascist who raked in nearly $450,000 in payments from Turkey and Russia in 2015 without receiving clearance from U.S. officials.
Other ex-servicemembers named in the Post story as paid consultants to the Saudi defense ministry include retired Air Force Brig. Gen. John Doucette and retired Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry.
Kate Kizer, a senior nonresident fellow at the Center for International Policy, wrote on Twitter that the reporting provides further evidence that “war and crimes against humanity” are “big business for U.S. military leaders after their service.”
So Trump and Epstein have been associated with Saudi Arabia since the 1980s:
Jeffrey Epstein’s Ties to Saudi Arabia
Nov 18, 2025
Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to Saudi Arabia have long fueled speculation about his international influence, potential intelligence links, and unexplained wealth. These ties, documented through court records, flight logs, and media investigations, span decades and involve travel, forged documents, and associations with Saudi royalty. While no direct evidence ties Epstein’s sex-trafficking crimes to Saudi figures, his interactions with the kingdom highlight a pattern of elite networking in the Middle East. Below is a breakdown of the key elements, drawn from unsealed documents and reporting.
. The Fake Austrian Passport with Saudi Residence
In 2019, during the FBI raid on Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, agents discovered an expired 1980s Austrian passport inside a locked safe, alongside $70,000 in cash and 48 loose diamonds.
The passport bore Epstein’s photo but a false name (“Alberto Engel de S.”) and listed his residence as Saudi Arabia.
Prosecutors revealed it was used for international travel in the 1980s, with stamps showing entries to Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Epstein’s lawyers claimed it was for “personal protection” due to risks as a wealthy Jewish traveler in the Middle East, but federal investigators viewed it as evidence of his flight risk and ability to evade scrutiny.
Recent 2024 State Department records obtained by ABC News further show Epstein repeatedly requested second U.S. passports to “avoid conflicting visa stamps” for trips to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel, underscoring his frequent Middle East travel.
2. Travel to Saudi Arabia
Epstein’s private jet, dubbed the “Lolita Express,” made notable trips to the kingdom. Flight data analyzed by aviation trackers shows it landed at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on November 7, 2016—the eve of the U.S. presidential election.
The jet had departed from the U.S. and briefly appeared over southern Jordan before entering Saudi airspace, marking one of the clearest documented links to the region.
Earlier travels in the 1980s, facilitated by the fake passport, suggest Epstein visited Saudi Arabia multiple times, though exact purposes remain unclear.
Associates reported he traveled solo to the kingdom more than to other Middle Eastern destinations, where visas were notoriously restrictive for unmarried women until recently.
Associations with Saudi Royalty and Elites
Epstein openly boasted of close ties to Saudi leaders, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). In 2018— a year before his death—he claimed frequent conversations with MBS, though without verifiable evidence.
A framed photo of MBS hung in Epstein’s Manhattan mansion alongside images of Bill Clinton and Woody Allen.
Epstein’s infamous “black book” of contacts, seized by the FBI, listed MBS and other Saudi royals, alongside figures like Israeli PM Ehud Barak and UK PM Tony Blair.
As recently as November 18, 2025, leaked documents reported by Observer Diplomat allege MBS sent Epstein luxurious gifts, including a tent and carpets, hinting at a deeper “hidden elite network” of influence involving global power dynamics.
This aligns with broader probes into Epstein’s role in international dealings, including potential Saudi investments in his ventures (e.g., unconfirmed links to Tesla’s $2 billion Saudi funding).
Steve Bannon, who befriended Epstein in 2018, later described him as having “close relations with the Saudi government” and speculated Epstein might have been paid for undisclosed work there.
4. Speculation on Intelligence and Financial Links
Epstein’s Saudi connections have sparked theories of intelligence involvement, given the kingdom’s history of covert operations. The 2016 Riyadh trip, timed amid U.S. election tensions, raised questions about his role in geopolitical maneuvering.
Some reports link it to broader Epstein-Middle East ties, including unproven blackmail schemes involving Saudi interests (e.g., the 2019 Jeff Bezos hack allegations).
In the context of recent Epstein file declassifications (as of November 2025), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna cited witness statements implicating Saudi Arabia in an “international trafficking network” alongside Russia and Israel.
Wajeeh Lion reckons around 500 US officials are currently funded by Saudi Arabia, see his Substack May 3 2026.
Foreign governments have funneled over $2.6 billion into U.S. politics through advocacy groups, often using loopholes that allow them to influence policy without direct donations to political campaigns. This raises concerns about foreign influence in American political processes. Fox News The White House
The announcement follows tensions that exploded between another AI company, Anthropic, and the Pentagon in late February after the company refused to allow its products to be used for autonomous weapons and surveillance of Americans. The Pentagon subsequently designated Anthropic a supply chain risk and Trump ordered federal agencies to begin offloading use of its products, though a judge has issued an injunction on those actions.
Oracle: Laying off workers who trained AI to replace them *like digging your own grave):
Oracle Lays Off 30,000 As AI Spending Surges
ByJon Markman,Contributor. Analyzing tech stocks through the prism of cultural change.Follow AuthorApr 06, 2026
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, is seen in the U.S. Capitol after a meeting in the office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Thursday, March 26, 2026.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
As US tech companies have ramped up investments in AI, they have slashed a staggering number of jobs. Microsoft cut 15,000 workers lastyear. Amazon laid off 30,000 employees in the last six months. The financial-services company Block eliminated more than 4,000 people, or 40% of its workforce, in February. Meta laid off more than 1,000 in the last six months, and, according to a Reuters report, may cut 20% of all employees in the near future. Just this week, the software giant Oracle laid off thousands of workers. Smaller players like Pinterest and Atlassian also made recent cuts, culling about 15% and 10% of their workforces, respectively. Estimates put the total number of tech layoffs in the past year at more than 165,000, according to the tracker Layoffs
Keir Starmer re protest chant as pro Palestinians march in the UK:
“I will defend the right of peaceful protest very strongly and freedom of speech. I have defended those principles all my life and I will continue to do so. And so I’m not stepping back from that one bit.
“But if you are on a march or a protest where people are chanting, ‘globalise the intifada’, you do have to stop and ask yourself, why am I not calling this out? Why am I on a march where this is the chant? And I do think it’s time for people just to ask themselves that.”
The meaning of the word ‘intifada’:
The word “intifada” is an Arabic term that translates to “uprising” or “rebellion,” often referring to a popular protest movement against oppression. In the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it specifically denotes the Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation, characterized by both violent and nonviolent resistance. Wikipedia natakallam.com
‘Vengeance for all’: How Iran’s Lego videos won narrative war against Trump
The viral videos by Iranian creators, say analysts, are high-quality though cheap, and strike at fissures in US politics while rallying a world audience against America’s long history of global wars and abuses.8 mins
But the Tehran-based group, which uses bespoke lyrics and rap beats to mock Trump – often using the US president’s own words to accuse him of hypocrisy and of pandering to Israel’s interests rather than America’s – isn’t giving up.
An Explosive Media representative, who requested anonymity, told Al Jazeera that their YouTube channel was shut down on the grounds of promoting violence – and that they are convinced that Lego-like brick animations are not at all violent.
“There was frustration, but no surprise – this story is not new,” he said. “We know well how the West wraps truth in silence and tries to mute every voice that speaks it.”
But the New York Times had an extraordinary detail about the Iranian offer: “A U.S. official also said that accepting it could appear to deny Mr. Trump a victory.”
Chancellor Merz comments on Iran ‘having all the cards’:
This process began in Jersey, in the 1960s. Marcus Samuel, the proprietor of the bank HM Samuel and Co, had multiple clients around the empire who were looking to relocate back home due to decolonisation, but who wanted to avoid Britain’s upper tax rate, which was above 90 per cent at the time. In 1962, he persuaded Jersey’s parliament to scrap a cap it had on interest rates and set the island up as an offshore haven. Samuel was a member of the House of Lords, the third Viscount Bearsten. The first Viscount, his grandfather, from whom he had inherited both his title and his bank, was also the founder of another company: Shell. This connection between Britain’s oil industry and its tax havens is more than just one historic familial quirk. To this day, Big Oil is a major utiliser of British offshore zones.
The illegal war on Iran has resulted in a windfall for oil companies and their shareholders:
Oil prices in Europe are approaching a record $150 a barrel in response to the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, the share value of the world’s six biggest stock-market-listed oil companies has soared by more than $130bn, hitting record highs. Report by ADAM RAMSAY
For the two British companies on that list – Shell and BP – the combined spoils of Trump and Netanyahu’s war are estimated at £5bn, while US oil companies can expect a $63bn boost.
If Brexit was about transforming Britain into even more of an offshore haven for corporate wealth and power, then this single relocation is perhaps its biggest success. The move means that Shell’s global headquarters is now just one mile from BP’s, and that London hosts two of the world’s six ‘oil supermajors’. Houston, Texas hosts another two (ExxonMobil and Chevron), while Paris and Rome host one each (TotalEnergies and Eni).
Adam Ramsay explains about Royal Dutch Shell becoming just Shell:
Epstein tried to build web of powerful ties across Middle East, documents show
February 18, 2026 8:28 AM GMTUpdated February 21, 2026
Item 1 of 2 Late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem are seen in this undated handout image from the Epstein estate released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in Washington, D.C., U.S., on December 18, 2025. House Oversight Committee Democrats/Handout via REUTERS
[1/2]Late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem are seen in this undated handout image from the Epstein estate released by Democrats on the House Oversight… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
Summary
Companies
Files show Epstein sought powerful network of ties across Middle East
Saudi Aramco’s potential IPO among issues touched on in files
DP World CEO resigns after being named in Epstein files
DUBAI, Feb 19 (Reuters) – The departure of the chief executive of Dubai port giant DP World is the biggest fallout in the Middle East from U.S. Department of Justice documents which show that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein tried to build a powerful network of political figures and business leaders across the region.
DP World announced on Friday that Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem had resigned as chief executive and chair. The decision to act was taken after Bin Sulayem’s name appeared in the Epstein files, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, and as his relationship with the late convicted sex offender faced increasing scrutiny.
……………
Dubai’s ruler on Friday also issued a decree appointing a new chairman for Dubai’s Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, one of several roles Bin Sulayem held.
……………….
Being named in the file is not evidence of criminal activity. But after members of the U.S. Congress said Bin Sulayem’s name appeared in files released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), he faced renewed questions from some of DP World’s financial backers over his past interactions.
……………..
UK development finance agency, British International Investment, and Canada’s second-largest pension fund said last week they would suspend all new investment with DP World over Bin Sulayem’s alleged ties to Epstein.
“We are shocked by the allegations emerging in the Epstein
Files regarding Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem,” said a spokesperson for BII, without saying which allegations he was referring to. “In light of the allegations, we will not be making any new investments with DP World until the required actions have been taken by the company.”
Canadian pension fund La Caisse said it was “pausing additional capital deployment alongside the company” until DP World clarified the situation and took “the necessary actions”.
In a statement after Friday’s leadership changes at DP World, BII welcomed DP World’s decision and said it looked forward to continuing “our partnership to advance the development of key African trading ports”. La Caisse said “the company took the appropriate measures” and that it would “move quickly to work with DP World’s new leadership to continue our partnership on port projects around the world”.
Bin Sulayem did not immediately respond when asked by Reuters to comment on the actions taken by BII and La Caisse. DP World declined comment.
NETWORK OF CONTACTS
The large cache of documents released by the DOJ, including text messages and emails, also shows the Middle East was no exception to Epstein’s efforts to use his wealth to build relationships with prominent people in politics, finance, academia and business around the world.
Reuters was unable to ascertain how successful Epstein was in seeking to influence his contacts in the Middle East, and whether his advice was heeded.
The DOJ documents reviewed by Reuters show Epstein tried to advise Qatari business leaders and political figures during the 2017-21 blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt over accusations that Doha failed to curb ties with Iran and supported terrorism, which Qatar denied.
In exchanges with a Qatari businessman and ruling family member Sheikh Jabor Yousuf Jassim Al Thani, Epstein urged Qatar to “stop kicking and arguing…let the heat come down a bit”. He said “the current Qatar team is very weak” and “FM is not experienced and it shows.”
Qatar’s foreign minister at the time was Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who now serves as both foreign minister and prime minister. Sheikh Mohammed has not commented publicly on Epstein’s portrayal of him. Asked about the exchange, Qatar’s International Media Office, which handles media requests for the prime minister, declined to comment.
There was no response to a Reuters request for comment emailed to three companies in Qatar that Sheikh Jabor is listed as chairman of, or to a text message sent to an individual who, according to the files released by the DOJ, works in Sheikh Jabor’s office.
Epstein urged Doha to forge links with Israel to stay in the good graces of Donald Trump, who was then in his first term as U.S. president. He suggested the Gulf state either move towards recognising Israel or pledge $1 billion to a fund for terrorism victims. Ultimately, Qatar stuck to its independent course. In 2021, the blockading countries restored ties with Doha, and ties between the Trump administration and Qatar are now strong.
DISCUSSION OF SAUDI ARAMCO IPO
Epstein discussed Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering in dozens of email exchanges. In one exchange dated September 10, 2016, with a person named as Aziza Alahmadi, and with former Norwegian diplomat Terje Roed-Larson copied in, Epstein warned that Aramco going public could expose Saudi Arabia to lawsuits and asset seizures. Saudi Aramco declined to comment on these emails.
Alahmadi could not be reached for comment and Reuters was unable to establish her role, if any, in Epstein’s activities.
In an email dated October 16, 2017, and also sent to Alahmadi, Epstein suggested selling China an option to buy a $100-billion stake in Aramco rather than pursuing a traditional IPO, saying it would provide liquidity while limiting exposure to public markets.
Saudi Aramco declined to comment to Reuters on the emails. Roed-Larsen did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by email via his lawyer.
Epstein’s reach also extended to Egypt, the documents released by the DOJ show. Some emails show a request from a family member of Hosni Mubarak – the wife of his son Gamal Mubarak – that was passed on to Epstein asking for help in 2011, following the former president’s ouster and subsequent legal troubles. They did not say what kind of assistance was sought and Reuters was unable to establish whether Epstein had tried to intercede on the family’s behalf.
Lionel Halperin, a lawyer for Gamal Mubarak, told Reuters by email that no member of the Mubarak family ever knew of Epstein or ever sought or received assistance from any source, directly or indirectly.
He said Roed-Larsen and others had attempted in 2011 to reach out to Gamal Mubarak to better understand the situation in Egypt and that of the Mubarak family. As Gamal Mubarak was in prison at the time pending an investigation, he asked his wife, Khadiga El Gammal, to send back “messages of appreciation” to those who reached out to him and his family.
It was in this context that “a few emails” were sent to Roed-Larsen, Halperin said.
“Gamal Mubarak has no explanation, and does not know the context, as to why some of such emails were forwarded to an email account of Mr. Epstein at the time,” Halperin said.
Additional reporting by Nadine Awadalla and Yousef Saba in Dubai, Writing by Michael Georgy, Editing by Timothy Heritage
Its full name, Royal Dutch Shell, wasn’t a reference to the House of Windsor, but to the House of Orange – the Netherlands’ royal family. From 1917, its global headquarters had been in a Renaissance Dutch-style building in the Hague. But in 2022, it abandoned that history. The Shell Centre, a modernist tower on the south bank of the River Thames, just behind the London Eye and across the water from the Houses of Parliament, became its International HQ. Now, it’s just Shell plc. And now, legally at least, it’s just ‘Anglo’.
They were escaping legal action by Friends of the Earth in the Netherlands and did so by moving to London.
The Epstein files reveal the history of his offering a service to wealthy individuals of concealing and/or investing their funds, often utilizing offshore banks, thus avoiding high taxes which would fund the nation they are registered in. He also offered his services of wealth management to oil rich magnates.
In Feb 2026:
HSBC and Barclays hit with £9.5bn Epstein-linked trust lawsuit
US heirs allege offshore trust was used to divert family wealth.
HSBC and Barclays are defending a £9.5bn US lawsuit linked to a Jersey trust under scrutiny.
• Epstein’s office featured a framed photo of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), raising questions about Gulf- Israeli collaboration.
• Critics link MBS’s ties to Epstein with broader betrayal by Arab leaders toward the Palestinian cause.
Among the most striking and unsettling discoveries during the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s estate were framed photographs prominently displayed in his office, some of which featured Epstein with globally influential figures. This included a framed image of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) — a fact uncovered through what the New York Times described as a thorough “scrutiny” of Epstein’s Manhattan home.
These images strongly suggest the extent of Epstein’s far-reaching and powerful network, encompassing leaders from across the globe. As per the same 2019 New York Times report, Epstein kept a full-length framed photo of MBS in a prominent place in his home — a detail later confirmed by multiple journalists.
But it wasn’t just the photographs that drew attention. Epstein’s office also housed disturbing artifacts, including a first edition of Vladimir Nabokov’s notorious novel Lolita — a chilling reflection of his known obsession with underage girls, which prosecutors said fueled his sex trafficking operation over many years. This further solidified the deeply troubling image of his personal associations.
The revelations have fueled public outrage, particularly across the Arab world, where many view MBS’s apparent intimacy with Epstein as more than just scandalous. According to a report by Middle East Eye, the photograph triggered widespread criticism, especially from those who see it as evidence of deep-rooted Gulf-Israeli collaboration. One particularly stinging question was raised by Sam Youssef, editor of American and International Affairs, who asked: “Do you now understand why Arab rulers kneel to Netanyahu and the Mossad?” This quote has since echoed across social media, reflecting a shared anger over what is perceived as a betrayal of the Palestinian struggle and Arab dignity.
Others went even further, interpreting the image of MBS and Epstein as a symbol of regional betrayal. The backlash was not merely personal—it represented a broader distrust of Gulf leaders, especially those seen as cozying up to the West and Israel while turning a blind eye to justice and accountability.
The photo wasn’t the only mention of MBS in connection with Epstein. In 2018, just a year before his death, Epstein gave an interview to New York Times journalist James B. Stewart, during which he gestured toward the same framed photo of MBS and stated: “That’s MBS. He’s visited me many times. We talk often.” This claim only reinforced suspicions of a deep, personal connection between the disgraced financier and the Saudi crown prince.
MBS’s photo was reportedly displayed alongside those of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Elon Musk, Pope John Paul II, Mick Jagger, Fidel Castro, and powerful Gulf leaders such as Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar and DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem — all figures who have at some point been linked to Epstein’s vast network. The clear implication is that Epstein’s power lay not only in wealth or blackmail but in access — access to elites across political, financial, and royal spheres.
Libya abandons Arctic Metagaz as ghost ship floats aimlessly in Mediterranean
Ship tracking websites show that the tugboat Maridive 701, which was keeping the uncrewed Russian LNG carrier, Arctic Metagaz, on tow off the eastern Libyan coast has now returned back to base in Tripoli, suggesting the ghost ship is once again adrift in the Mediterranean
26 April 2026, 7:30am by Kurt Sansone
2 min read
The Arctic Metagaz wreck was last located some 90 nautical miles off the Libya’s eastern coast before tugboat operations to keep it on tow were abandoned
The Arctic Metagaz is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” transporting fossil fuels in violation of international sanctions over Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
The tanker, carrying liquefied natural gas, was badly damaged in a suspected sea drone attack near Maltese waters earlier this month.
According to Russian authorities, it was hit and badly damaged by Ukrainian naval drones. Ukraine has not commented.
UAE announces decision to withdraw from Opec, Opec+ from May 1
After leaving Opec, the UAE will continue its responsible role by gradually and thoughtfully increasing production, in line with demand and market conditions
The decision, which comes after six decades of being a part of the organisation, was made after the nation’s production policy and its capacity was reviewed.
Roughly half of the United Arab Emirates’ daily oil exports are delivered through Fujairah, whose location on the Gulf of Oman allows the United Arab Emirates to bypass the geopolitically volatile Strait of Hormuz. Oil is delivered to Fujairah from the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi through the Habshan-Fujairah oil pipeline, which began operations in 2012. In 2025 about 1.7 million barrels of crude oil were exported from Fujairah per day.
Africa could face a refined fuel shortfall of 86 million tonnes by 2040, according to a new report by the Africa Finance Corporation, which warns that recent geopolitical tensions have exposed the continent’s reliance on external energy supply routes.
Riverside, Jetty with vessels drone view. [Stock Photo/Getty Images]
Africa could face an 86 million tonne refined fuel shortfall by 2040, according to the Africa Finance Corporation.
The report warns that over 70 per cent of Africa’s fuel is imported, alongside $230 billion in essential goods annually.
Geopolitical tensions, including disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz, have exposed supply vulnerabilities.
Leaders and investors are calling for increased domestic refining capacity to reduce dependence on imports.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that earlier this month, a ship called ABINSK entered the Haifa port with wheat cargo from Russian-occupied territory. Kyiv said it alerted Israeli authorities but the vessel was allowed to unload its cargo and leave Haifa in mid-April.
It said the ship was part of the “shadow fleet” that helps prop up the Kremlin’s war economy by shipping products for countries facing international sanctions — such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran — often by concealing or spoofing their location data. They also often engage in ship-to-ship transfers of their cargo while at sea in an effort to obscure its origin.
Using data from ship-tracking website MarineTraffic, NBC News tracked the Russian-flagged Abinsk from the occupied Crimean port of Kerch on March 17 to Haifa on April 12.
The ship left Haifa on April 15, according to the tracker, and arrived at the port of Kavkaz in southern Russia on April 22. MarineTraffic doesn’t track the type of cargo aboard a ship or where it originates from.
Ukraine named the ship at the center of Tuesday’s firestorm as Panormitis. According to MarineTraffic data, the Panama-flagged ship left Russia’s Kavkaz port April 11 and arrived at Haifa on April 25. The ship is currently drifting in the area of Haifa Bay, per the tracker.
As if Iraq has not had enough trouble and strife, Wajeeh Lion Substack explains their peril to those of us who maybe, like me, were ignorant of the US Sword of Damocles held over them:
The clock has officially run out in Baghdad. As of late April 2026, Iraq has blown past its constitutional deadline to form a new government, plunging the nation into a perilous political freeze. To understand the paralysis gripping the country right now, you do not need a degree in international relations or game theory. At its core, the crisis is a high-stakes game of political chicken between two powerful men, complicated by the United States holding the country’s purse strings and Iran watching closely from the shadows.
The deadlock centers on the dominant political coalition in parliament, which had exactly fifteen days following the election of a new Iraqi president earlier this month to agree on a prime minister. That deadline came and went in total silence. The group is fundamentally paralyzed because two political heavyweights refuse to step aside. On one side is Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the current caretaker prime minister who is determined to keep his job. On the other side is Nouri al-Maliki, a formidable former prime minister fighting aggressively for a political comeback. Neither man is willing to back down, knowing that surrendering would look like a massive public defeat. Yet, if neither yields, their political coalition risks fracturing entirely, leaving the government stuck in a constitutional void.
This is not merely a local political dispute. The United States has inserted itself forcefully into the outcome, utilizing a unique and devastating point of economic leverage. Because of how Iraq’s economy is structured, the revenue it generates from selling oil is held at the Federal Reserve in New York. To keep the Iraqi economy functioning, the U.S. Treasury physically flies pallets of U.S. dollars to Baghdad’s Central Bank. Following recent regional conflicts, the U.S. government issued a stark, public ultimatum: if Maliki is reinstated as prime minister, Washington will cut off those dollar shipments. American officials view Maliki as too closely aligned with Iran and blame his past policies for fueling regional instability. Without those regular dollar shipments, Iraq’s economy would collapse almost overnight. This puts the Iraqi political establishment in an agonizing bind. While certain factions desperately want Maliki back in power, absolutely no one wants to be responsible for bankrupting the country.
Adding fuel to the fire is the chaos unfolding just outside Iraq’s borders. Following the late-2024 collapse of the Syrian government to extremist groups, Iraqi leaders are terrified that violence will spill over their borders, mirroring the devastating invasions of a decade ago. Furthermore, Iraq remains the primary proxy battleground for influence between Washington and Tehran. While the United States threatens economic ruin from afar, Iranian generals have recently traveled to Baghdad to exert direct pressure on politicians, demanding a leader sympathetic to their interests. This intense regional anxiety makes Iraqi politicians feel an acute need for a strong, decisive leader, yet they cannot agree on who that should be without severely angering one of the competing global superpowers.
So, how do Maliki and Sudani avoid crashing the entire system? In high-stakes political standoffs, the most logical exit strategy is a compromise candidate—a third party whom neither side adores, but both can tolerate. Behind closed doors, intense negotiations are reportedly underway to elevate an independent constitutional expert and businessman named Ali Shakir Mahmoud Al-Zaidi. For the United States, Al-Zaidi is an acceptable choice simply because he is not Maliki, which would keep the crucial dollar shipments flowing. For Iran and the Iraqi coalition, he is acceptable because he remains deeply integrated within their established political network. Elevating a middle-ground figure like Al-Zaidi would allow both Maliki and Sudani to save face without triggering an economic catastrophe.
Because the stakes are so incredibly high, the Iraqi media landscape is currently flooded with disinformation designed to manipulate the negotiations and cause panic. Rumors frequently circulate that either Maliki or Sudani has secretly dropped out, or that the United States has already suspended the vital dollar shipments. In reality, both men remain officially in the race, and the Central Bank of Iraq has been forced to step in and confirm that the money is still flowing, proving the rumors were merely psychological tactics meant to force a rushed decision.
Even if a compromise is reached, the situation remains incredibly precarious. Iraq’s highest religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, possesses the power to make or break a politician with a single statement, yet he has remained notably quiet during this crisis. Furthermore, with the legal deadline now missed, the highly politicized Iraqi Supreme Court may be forced to step in to interpret the law, potentially sparking even more bitter disputes over who actually has the power to appoint the next leader. Finally, heavily armed, Iran-backed militias could still lash out with violence if they feel a compromise candidate threatens their grip on power.
For now, Iraq is holding its breath. The country’s political elite must untangle their bitter rivalries and find a workable compromise in the coming days, or they risk dragging the entire nation over an economic cliff.
borderslynn 
You must be logged in to post a comment.