Sudani Cancels Privileges of Iraqi Presidents, PMs, Speakers

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Reuters)
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Sudani Cancels Privileges of Iraqi Presidents, PMs, Speakers

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Reuters)

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani issued a number of orders, including cancelling allocations to his office and the protection service provided to the former presidents, prime ministers and parliament speakers, in what seemed a shocking step to senior Iraqi officials.

According to an informed Iraqi source, all former presidents and premiers after 2003 were included in the decision. These include ex-presidents Fuad Masoum, and Barham Salih, as well as ex-prime ministers Ayad Allawi, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Nouri al-Maliki, Haider al-Abadi, Adel Abdul Mahdi and Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Political observers said these decisions could have negative impacts on the relation between Sudani and senior Iraqi officials and leaders.

Sudani further ordered cancelling the allocations provided to the three presidencies, including President Abdul Latif Rashid, Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and his office.

The source said that his decisions also included cutting 2.5 million dinars from the ministers’ salaries, in addition to canceling allocations to hospitality, treatment, and renting private planes for the three presidencies, including himself.

The PM aims through these decisions to reduce exaggerated government spending.

He banned granting MPs new cars, and this applies to high-ranking officials, including heads of agencies, undersecretaries of ministries, and ambassadors.

Local news agencies quoted a military commander in the Green Zone as saying that the force assigned to protect Kadhimi received orders to withdraw from its location near his house, yet most of the almost 100 security guards did not implement the sudden orders yet.

Unlike former premiers, Kadhimi had previously been subjected to several arrest attempts. Stripping him of protection seemed at first surprising before it became clear that it applies to all former presidents and prime ministers.

In this context, the political source said that Sudani also ordered the shutdown of 20 Iraqi embassies abroad due to the lack of Iraqi expatriates in these countries and the large sums spent on the embassies and their diplomatic staff.

The decision comes in line with the PM’s efforts to restructure the state institutions and limit the government spending. It also comes only a few days after he ordered removing the list of ambassadors prepared to a vote in the parliament.



Iranian FM from Beirut: We Respect Lebanon’s Internal Affairs

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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Iranian FM from Beirut: We Respect Lebanon’s Internal Affairs

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that considering the regional developments, Iran is keen on opening a new chapter in its relations with Lebanon, assuring that his country respects Lebanon’s internal matters and does not meddle in them.

Araghchi, who arrived on Tuesday in Beirut coming from Egypt where he convened with senior officials, met with his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji at the foreign ministry’s headquarters in Downtown Beirut.

Araghchi said he has meetings scheduled with Lebanese President Jospeh Aoun, PM Nawaf Salam and his Lebanese counterpart.

“My trip to Lebanon comes as part of my tour in the region”, the state-run National News Agency quoted Araghchi as saying after he arrived at the airport.

“We respect Lebanon’s internal matters; we do not interfere in them. We also support Lebanon’s sovereignty during difficult times just like we did before”, he stated, noting that Iran attaches great importance to Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty and unity.

“I hope there would be a new leaf of relations with Lebanon based on mutual respect”, he added.

A Visit with Political Goals

According to sources who spoke to Asharq al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, the Iranian diplomat’s visit has political goals as it coincides with a new round of US-Iran nuclear talks that reports say still faces hurdles amid Tehran’s insistence that they are strictly for peaceful purposes.

The visit was not coordinated in advance with the Lebanese state but came at the Iranian minister’s request, the source added, noting that Araghchi seeks to meet senior Lebanese officials to discuss matters of key importance for his country.