Iraq's Health Minister Warns of Empty Treasury as Salaries Face Shortfall

Health Minister Abdul Hussein al-Musawi told employees there is no money, signalling a severe cash shortage that endangers the payment of public salaries.

In a rare candid briefing, Health Minister Abdul Hussein al-Musawi warned that Iraq has run out of money to cover its basic expenditures, especially civil-service salaries. He cited a monthly budget need of roughly 10.8 trillion dinars, while current revenues have fallen to under 3 trillion dinars after oil exports stopped via the Strait of Hormuz. A government source said salaries and welfare payments total about 7.8 trillion dinars, leaving a deficit of 3.2 trillion dinars after partial disbursements.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's development plan to diversify the economy has been stalled, prompting the spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi to mention possible domestic or external borrowing. Authorities are drafting austerity measures, including cuts to the Ministry of Trade budget and reductions to food-ration allocations. Citizens such as Amira Ali and Bashar Sabbar report that delayed wages are already forcing families to postpone essential expenses.