General Closure of Commercial Markets in Iraq in Protest Against New Customs Tariffs

General Closure of Commercial Markets in Iraq in Protest Against New Customs Tariffs The Baghdad Chamber of Commerce announced a complete shutdown of commercial markets across Iraq starting Sunday, in protest against Government Decision No. 957 of 2025 regarding increased customs tariffs on imports. The decision was ratified in late October 2025 and came into effect in January 2026.

The decision raises tariffs to between 5% and 30%, covering most imported goods. However, implementation was sudden, without a gradual schedule or exemptions for essential goods. This led to a halt in the movement of goods at customs, affected market prices, and sparked a wave of anger among traders.

The Chamber of Commerce stated that the closure aims to pressure the government to amend or postpone the application of the new tariffs, especially since the abrupt implementation caused immediate losses for traders and disrupted supplies in the markets.

Background: The decision was issued by the central government before the new parliament had full authority. Since then, parliament has not made any amendments to the decision, despite repeated protests from traders.

The Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) alongside Witkoff and Kushner as part of the American delegation in the Iran–United States negotiations in Muscat.

The Sovereign Void: Why the Architects of the Multipolar World Are Missing from the Empire’s Files

The unsealing of the Epstein documents (2024–2026) has provided more than just a list of names; it has provided a forensic map of the Atlanticist power structure. While the files are saturated with the names of U.S. Presidents, British royalty, and Zionist power brokers, there is a glaring absence of the leaders currently architecting the Multipolar World.

This absence is not a coincidence of geography—it is a structural firewall created by the pursuit of national sovereignty.

1. The Blackmail-Based Order The Epstein network was never merely a tabloid scandal; it was a functional infrastructure for the Western ruling class. It served as a nexus where finance, intelligence, and high-level politics merged to ensure institutional loyalty through kompromat (compromising material) and shared liability.

To be "integrated" into the Western-led "Rules-Based International Order" often required entry into these elite social circuits. The figures missing from these files—Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, and Imran Khan—exist entirely outside this circuit because they have fundamentally decoupled their states from the Western social and financial ecosystem.

2. Sovereignty as a Shield The leaders of the emerging multipolar hubs have been subjected to decades of "maximum pressure," sanctions, and character assassination. Paradoxically, this isolation served as a sanctuary of sovereignty.

• The Russian and Chinese Wall: Epstein’s recorded attempts to facilitate meetings with Vladimir Putin (2011–2014) were met with total failure. Putin’s Russia and Xi Jinping’s China have spent the last decade building indigenous financial and social infrastructures. By being locked out of the West’s "elite" circles, they remained immune to the specific brand of systemic corruption and social engineering used to manage Western puppet states.

• The Case of Imran Khan: As a disruptive populist, Khan’s absence from these files is telling. Unlike the traditional Pakistani political elite who are deeply integrated into Western real estate and financial markets, Khan’s refusal to serve as a client-state proxy led to his removal via a 2022 parliamentary maneuver—widely attributed to U.S. pressure. His lack of "files" meant he could not be managed; he had to be deposed.

• Intellectual Independence: The rejection of the network by Professor Norman Finkelstein illustrates the price of intellectual sovereignty. While other prominent academics were caught in the web, Finkelstein’s status as a pariah for his critique of the Zionist project made him unreachable.

3. The List of the "Un-compromised" The following figures share a common trait: they are the primary targets of Western aggression, yet they are the only global power players absent from the Empire’s most infamous ledger:

• Vladimir Putin: Endured relentless sanctions and 2016 election interference claims; Epstein’s attempts to reach him were rebuffed.

• Xi Jinping: Targeted by Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and South China Sea sanctions; no direct social or financial links to the Epstein circuit.

• Kim Jong Un: Subjected to the most extreme isolation in modern history; Epstein’s documented interest in North Korean "summits" never materialized into access.

• Imran Khan: Ousted and jailed after refusing to provide military bases and pursuing an independent foreign policy; no ties to Western elite scandals.

4. Conclusion: A Question of Survival The Epstein files prove that to be a "friend" of the Empire is to be a participant in its decay. The "International Community" is a club where membership is bought with complicity.

Is it a coincidence that those most hostile to Western domination are also the ones missing from its most infamous corruption networks? Or is it the consequence of true independence? As the Western order fumbles through its internal rot, a new world is being built by those who were never on "the list"—because they refused to pay the entry price. 🔵[ ](https://t.me/almuraqb/494) 🖋