04-08-2025
'Opposition Leader': Iraq to face mass protests over Kuwait maritime deal
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq could face sweeping protests in a few days if the government fails to act on a court ruling that annulled a contentious maritime agreement with Kuwait, a lawmaker warned on Monday.
In a video message, MP Amir Abdul Jabbar Ismail, who described himself as the 'head of the parliamentary opposition,' cautioned that demonstrators may escalate their demands—after the Arbaeen pilgrimage on August 14—to include calls for the dismissal of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's cabinet unless the ruling is enforced.
عاجل⚫️ رئيس المعارضةالنيابية يحذر السوداني من مظاهرات كبرى بعد زيارة الأربعين قد يرتفع مطالب المتظاهرين الى مطلب اقالة الحكومة مالم تتدارك وتنفذ قرار المحكمة الاتحادية 105 / 2023 عبر إيداعه لدى الامم المتحدة ولدى المنظمة البحرية الدولية‼️ عبر @YouTube
— عامر عبدالجبار اسماعيل (@AmerAIsmael1) August 4, 2025
The Federal Supreme Court's Decision No. 105 of 2023 overturned Law No. 42 of 2013, which had ratified a 2012 agreement governing navigation in the Khor Abdullah waterway. The court found that the deal was approved in violation of Article 61/IV of Iraq's Constitution, which requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority for treaty ratification.
Ismail urged the government to formally deposit the ruling with the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization, and to register Iraq's maritime boundaries. 'This is sincere advice,' he noted, stressing the need to act swiftly to prevent public escalation.
While the government defends the Khor Abdullah deal as a step toward regional de-escalation, critics view it as a threat to Iraq's sovereignty. Backed by a majority of lawmakers, the court ruling sparked demonstrations in Baghdad and Basra, where protesters demanded the cancellation of the agreement and immediate implementation of the verdict.
