The Trade Ministry launched direct sales of construction materials to citizens on Saturday, offering cash and instalment payments. Company director Areej Hussein al-Jumaili said the initiative, ordered by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, aimed to provide affordable supplies and ease the effect of exchange-rate fluctuations on purchasing power. It follows the cabinet’s Tuesday decision to raise the public dollar-selling rate from 1,320 to 1,520 dinars per dollar from Wednesday. Another government measure drew objections from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Agriculture Ministry, which warned that the 8 October suspension of taxes and customs duties on imported eggs, chicken and meat could undermine domestic production. Ministry spokesman Qaraman Qadir said the Region already produces more chicken and eggs than its market requires. He argued that dinar depreciation made support for local producers more urgent, rather than greater reliance on imports. The ministry will announce its formal position on Sunday.

Kataib Hezbollah’s Hoquq bloc called on affected Iraqis Saturday to support a proposed Federal Supreme Court challenge to the exchange-rate decision. Saud al-Saadi (KH — Hoquq bloc leader) said lawmakers’ signatures were being gathered for a special parliamentary session. He had denied Hoquq’s participation in the rate decision on Friday. At Saturday’s press conference, he blamed successive governments since 2003 for mismanagement and failure to fight corruption. Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official) reported protests against the increase in Karbala on Friday. Al-Janoub TV (Harakat al-Jihad wal-Bina — official) reported Basra protests and the Basra Workers’ Trade Union Federation’s demand for reversal. First Deputy Speaker Adnan Fayhan instead called the change the least harmful measure, while demanding protection for poor and middle-income households.

Separately, Al-Dustour reported Friday that Iraq had established a specialized unit within the Popular Mobilization Commission to receive armed factions’ drones under al-Zaidi’s weapons-control plan. Citing an unnamed Iraqi security source, the newspaper said three of five factions covered by the plan had completed agreed weapons handovers. Its account described transfers of heavy and specialized weapons, not surrender of the factions’ entire arsenals. Al-Zaidi is also expected to begin visits to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Wednesday, 14 October, a government source told Shafaq News. The source said the discussions would cover shared security and economic issues and regional developments. During the tour, al-Zaidi is expected to reaffirm Iraq’s rejection of attacks launched from its territory against Gulf or other regional states and stress that his government would hold any party involved accountable, according to the source.

In Erbil, Mardin Zahedi, head of relations for the Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle, said Friday that, according to the group's information, Iran carried out Thursday night’s two-drone attack on a camp housing the group’s families in Kawrgosk, Khabat district. He said the drones may have been launched from the Piranshahr area inside Iran. The Kurdistan Region’s Counter-Terrorism Service confirmed the attack by two explosive-laden drones and reported no casualties. A Peshmerga captain told The New Arab that the attack made it urgent to accelerate provision of air-defence systems capable of intercepting drones. That interception role had previously been performed by US-led coalition forces, which withdrew their air-defence systems at the end of September.

Separately in Kirkuk, ISIS fighters attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in Hawija early Saturday before fleeing and being ambushed by Iraqi security forces at al-Burghaliya, The New Region reported. The ensuing armed confrontation lasted half an hour. The report said a number of ISIS members were killed and wounded, with the exact toll not immediately known, while Iraqi forces sustained no casualties. The fighting followed an armed attack late Tuesday on the second battalion of the PMF’s 61st Brigade in Al-Barghaliya–Al-Dandish village, reported by security sources.

Kataib Hezbollah’s Hoquq bloc called on affected Iraqis Saturday to support a proposed Federal Supreme Court challenge against the cabinet’s Tuesday increase in the public dollar-selling rate to 1,520 dinars. Saud al-Saadi (KH — Hoquq) said lawmakers’ signatures were being gathered for a special parliamentary session. He called for non-dollar accounts for oil sales and cancellation of U.S.-occupation economic orders. He also demanded removal of officials’ costly privileges and cuts to proposed additional spending. Through Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official), he had denied Hoquq’s participation in the rate decision on Friday. At Saturday’s press conference, he blamed successive governments since 2003 for mismanagement and failure to fight corruption.

Al-Ittijah reported protests against the increase in Karbala on Friday. It also reported goods accumulating in Baghdad markets. Al-Janoub TV (Harakat al-Jihad wal-Bina — official) reported Basra protests and the Basra Workers’ Trade Union Federation’s demand for reversal. First Deputy Speaker Adnan Fayhan instead called the change the least harmful measure, while demanding protection for poor and middle-income households, on Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official). Economic expert Haidar al-Suhail said government remedies could not control the parallel market on the same channel. Reconstruction and Development Coalition member Hussein Karim said the government’s measures would control prices. The Trade Ministry on Saturday launched direct construction-material sales, with cash and instalment payments.

On the oil-export difficulties, Abd al-Qadir al-Karbalai (Nujaba — military deputy) argued Iraq could have avoided Hormuz problems by refusing what he called unjust American decisions, in remarks carried by Al-Ittijah Friday. Al-Janoub programme speaker Abdulrahman al-Jazaeri blamed the Finance Ministry for the dollar crisis. Answering Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, he said Iraq exports oil through Hormuz. Iranian analyst Muhammad Gharawi said giant tankers carrying Iraqi oil had crossed the strait on the same programme. He also said Iran’s oil-pipeline policy was not directed against Iraq.

Separately in Kirkuk, Unit 10,000 (KH — affiliated) reported an ISIS attack on a security post in Hawija’s Danadish sector, followed by a PMF–security-force ambush. Al-Ahad said the PMF and Federal Police had thwarted the attack, citing a security source. Sabereen News (KH — affiliated) and Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) reported ISIS members surrounded at al-Barghaliya by the PMF, special forces and rapid-response forces. Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) reported the encirclement continuing in Kirkuk Saturday. The New Region’s account placed the initial attack at an army checkpoint and the subsequent half-hour clash at al-Burghaliya. It reported ISIS members dead and wounded, with no Iraqi-force casualties.

Separately, Rafiq al-Salihi (AAH — Sadiqoun MP) reaffirmed the bloc’s support for passing the PMF Commission service-and-retirement law Friday. Al-Ahad described intensive parliamentary efforts for passage, following the cabinet’s 30 September referral. Legal expert Ali al-Tamimi said the proposed law covered Commission structure and members’ retirement service. He said retirement-age legislation would settle the Commission chief’s tenure. He also said parliamentary questioning still applied despite the Commission’s independence. Political analyst Jasim al-Ghurabi called the government’s submission a challenge to the U.S. administration, also on Al-Ahad.