Basra Scholars and Students Hold Protest Against Oil Agreements with Washington and Political...

Basra, Iraq

Basra witnessed an angry protest by Islamic scholars, seminary students, and Hussaini pulpit preachers, condemning the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington and his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The demonstrators denounced what they described as steps that deny Iraq’s history and the immense sacrifices made to preserve the country’s unity and dignity.

Key Points and Demands of the Statement

• The statement argued that mortgaging the nation’s wealth through the creation of an investment fund financed by 500,000 barrels of oil per day for the benefit of American companies is not an investment, but rather

“a certificate of submission”

and a surrender of Iraq’s natural resources in exchange for foreign approval.

• Protesters expressed deep frustration over the silence of the political forces supporting the Prime Minister, noting that these parties rose to power through the votes of the Iraqi people and the sacrifices and heroism of the martyrs of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

• The statement asserted that a political leadership unwilling to confront external pressure and indifferent to the blood of its martyrs and national symbols is inevitably incapable of confronting corruption networks and entrenched centers of influence at home.

Escalation Announced:

The professors, students of Islamic sciences, and preachers in Basra stressed that they would not remain silent in the face of what they described as these violations and acts of capitulation. They emphasized that this protest is only the first step in a broader campaign of escalating actions to defend the dignity of the Iraqi people and their national wealth, while rejecting compromise solutions and symbolic statements.