Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday met with Brigadier General Kevin Lambert, the new commander of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), to discuss the ongoing threat posed by the group and the evolving security situation in Iraq and Syria.

In late May 2025, the Federal Government of Iraq’s Ministry of Finance issued an official letter claiming that the Kurdistan Region’s total expenditures - including public servant salaries - had been fully covered for the year, despite only having disbursed funded for four months. The Ministry’s conclusion was reached based on adding and subtracting three years’ worth of the Kurdistan Region's budget share, as well as tallying Iraq’s total debt from 2015 to the present, essentially reducing a complex fiscal relationship to a numerical justification for cutting the Region’s budget.

If oil prices do not recover and remain below $70, Iraq will have to reassess its 2025 budget, particularly in terms of oil production and revenue projections

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