Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani received a phone call from U.S. Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio, during which bilateral relations and the general situation in the region were reviewed.

The Prime Minister affirmed Iraq’s support for efforts to stabilize the region, sustain ceasefire agreements, and halt acts of aggression.

He pointed to recent attacks that targeted vital and oil facilities in the Kurdistan Region and in the provinces of Salah al-Din and Kirkuk, describing them as direct strikes against the Iraqi national economy. He confirmed that security agencies are monitoring the sources of these attacks in coordination with the international coalition to combat ISIS.

Mr. Al-Sudani expressed astonishment at the timing of these attacks, which coincided with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Oil and American companies operating in the region to invest in several oil fields in Kirkuk and Salah al-Din.

The conversation also touched upon the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law. Al-Sudani clarified that proposing this law before Parliament is part of the government’s security reform strategy, which has already been endorsed by Parliament. This strategy includes similar legislation for other branches of the armed forces, such as the Intelligence and National Security Services. He emphasized that the PMF is an official Iraqi military institution that operates under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The prime minister highlighted the recent commitment of the Kurdistan Regional Government to hand over oil production and non-oil revenues to the federal treasury, based on a cabinet decision and provisions within the enacted budget law and a related ruling by the Federal Supreme Court. This move helped to resolve financial and legal obstacles between the federal government and the regional government. He noted that the government’s national and constitutional responsibility toward Iraqi citizens is reflected in its actions across all sectors.

He reiterated Iraq’s economic vision and stressed the importance of resuming oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline and halting all forms of smuggling and illegal practices affecting the nation’s oil wealth.