Iraqi Commander Al-Waeli Cites U.S. Control Over Nation’s Assets and Sovereignty

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Abu Alaa Al-Waeli, the Secretary-General of Iraq‘s Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, has asserted that Iraq is unable to independently access its own financial resources, pointing to American control over the country’s assets. In a social media post, Al-Waeli stated that while Iraq can sell its oil, the government is prohibited from seizing these oil revenues because the assets are held by American occupiers. He further elaborated that Iraqi aircraft incur significant expenses for the nation but are only permitted to fly in Iraqi airspace with U.S. authorization, which he characterized as a manifestation of Iraq’s occupation. Al-Waeli, a senior member of Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, also highlighted that the United States obstructs Iraq’s ability to purchase electricity from Turkey or Iran and prevents the country from entering into agreements with China. He added that Iraq is denied the right to contract with Siemens or other specialized companies for the reform and development of its electrical systems, describing the situation as one of being “left behind from here and driven away from there.” Al-Waeli concluded by emphasizing the Iraqi people’s desire for complete sovereignty over their nation, questioning where such sovereignty currently resides.