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Basra’s Largest Oil Smuggling Ring Captured

One of the demonstrations in the southern city of Basra (AFP)
One of the demonstrations in the southern city of Basra (AFP)
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Basra’s Largest Oil Smuggling Ring Captured

One of the demonstrations in the southern city of Basra (AFP)
One of the demonstrations in the southern city of Basra (AFP)

The largest network for smuggling oil byproducts in the province of Basra in southern Iraq has been shut down with the arrest of all 19 members of the crime ring.

Vehicles such as trucks and tanks used for smuggling by the group were also seized.

The ring was captured in Khor Al-Zubair city in Basra, a security source with knowledge of the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Smuggling oil is supported and run by prominent Iraqi figures, partisan groups and militias and has been ongoing for years, the source said.

More dangerously, the source pointed out that arrested smugglers are being set free shortly after their capture as a result of pressure exerted by influential figures.

He fears that the 19-member ring will soon be released in the same fashion.

“There is a large market exploiting territorial waters to smuggle various goods, especially oil and drugs, waters which the state cannot control due to its limited capabilities and lack of adequate patrol boats,” the source added.

More so, the source mentioned that the smugglers are receiving security coverage from powerful officials.

“Smugglers use special gauges issued by the Ministry of Oil on oil tanks to slip by checkpoints without any trouble—tanks aren’t being inspected because they are presenting approvals issued by official bodies,” they explained.

On the other hand, the series of assassinations continues to shake up Basra province.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Basra Mahdi al-Tamimi confirmed the killing of two women on Friday evening, one of which runs a beauty salon.

Another young man, with no history of political activities or protesting, was also killed.

Protests broke out after a number of people were sickened by polluted water in Basra. Protests in Basra province first started in July, but little to nothing has been done to provide residents with fresh water.

At least four were killed, and two were wounded in the recent violence.

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Kurdistan Salary Crisis Clouds Eid Celebrations in Baghdad

Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
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Kurdistan Salary Crisis Clouds Eid Celebrations in Baghdad

Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)

The festivity of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad was overshadowed by growing political tensions, particularly over the unresolved salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region.

While Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani opted for a neutral gesture - issuing a general holiday greeting and performing Eid prayers without comment - other political leaders used the occasion to speak pointedly about the nation’s deepening challenges.

Al-Sudani attended Eid prayers at Al-Rasoul Mosque in the capital, choosing to remain silent on political matters. However, influential Shiite cleric and head of the Hikma Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali both delivered speeches that touched on the country’s fraught political and economic landscape.

Al-Hakim warned against the use of political money in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 11, 2025.

Calling the vote “historic,” he emphasized the need for electoral integrity and urged political blocs to adopt a national code of conduct barring the use of illicit funds. “There is talk of a market where candidates and voters are being bought. This is corruption and betrayal of the people,” he said.

He also addressed Iraq’s perennial electricity crisis, calling for a “strategic state of emergency” to resolve the issue once and for all. “Despite changing governments and large budgets, the same problems repeat themselves,” he noted.

Al-Hakim stressed the need for governments to define clear priorities, including agriculture, water, and clean energy, and said Iraqis “deserve a dignified life that begins with stable electricity and ends with technological advancement.”

Khazali, meanwhile, focused his remarks on the Kurdistan Region salary crisis, criticizing accusations from Kurdish media that he was responsible for the federal government’s suspension of public sector salaries in the region. “It’s simply not true,” he said. “Unfortunately, salaries remain unpaid to this day.”

He stressed that despite Iraq’s wealth, the country continues to suffer from poverty and unemployment, and argued that the roots of these issues lie in the legacy of the former Ba’ath regime.

Khazali also pointed out that Kurdistan experiences higher poverty rates than the rest of Iraq, and that many Iraqi refugees abroad are from the region.

Turning to the electricity crisis, he warned this summer could be the most difficult in years, as outages are expected to worsen. “All past governments focused on increasing output but ignored the need to instill a culture of energy conservation,” he said, warning that some groups may seek to exploit the crisis to sow internal unrest.