Prime Minister Designate of Iraq: Ali al-Zaidi 

* Here is a dossier for the incoming Prime Minister of Iraq.  It is cross-pollinated from an X account that I look at every couple of days.   Shi'a Muslims are the majority population in the nation of Iraq. 

Today, the Coordination Framework officially announced the name of its candidate for Iraqi Prime Minister. The name: Ali Faleh Kazim Al-Zaidi. For those who know him well — the decision is not surprising. For those who don't — the picture is much deeper than it appears. Who is the man? Born in Dhi Qar Governorate. He holds a bachelor's in law, a bachelor's in finance and banking, and a master's in the same field. He served as chairman of the board of Al-Janoub Bank, and currently heads the Holding National Company, Al-Shaab University, and the Ishtar Medical Institute. On paper: A businessman and academic. In reality: A network of interests extending into the deepest intersections of money and politics. The dossier worrying Washington Al-Janoub Bank is subject to U.S. sanctions issued by the Treasury Department in February 2024, prohibiting it from dollar transactions due to involvement in illicit financial transfers, currency smuggling, and funding suspicious activities. The bank isn't sanctioned for nothing. The U.S. Treasury doesn't issue decisions randomly. What Iraqi sources say Followers of the file describe him as the owner of Al-Janoub Bank, sanctioned by the U.S. for smuggling dollars to Iran and money laundering for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and one of the main financiers of several Iran-aligned militias inside and outside Iraq. The Treasury denied him a dollar trading license despite mediation efforts. The media empire He owns Dijla satellite channel, which he bought from its founder, leader of the Hlal Party, Jamal Al-Karboli. He also acquired land in the Green Zone for millions of dollars designated for the channel's headquarters, and is an investor in a Hyper Market chain operating in all Iraqi cities under contracts with the Ministry of Commerce. From control of money — to control of media — to control of food. How did he reach this position? The nomination came after a series of meetings in the last 24 hours between the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Faleh Al-Fayyad, Al-Sudani, and Al-Maliki, with final agreement on his nomination after disputes between the parties reached their peak. Al-Fayyad is at the heart of the scene — and this is no passing detail. The internal balance equation Al-Zaidi enjoys wide relations with all Coordination Framework leaders, in addition to his ties to the private office of Sadrist Current leader Muqtada Al-Sadr. A man who bridges internal rivals — a rare advantage in Iraq's complex environment. Tehran's strategic implication A prime minister whose bank is sanctioned by the U.S. for dealings with Iran means: → Complicating any path for Iraq's normalization under U.S. conditions → A government Washington won't easily pressure with the dollar card → Continuation of the parallel funding system that Tehran breathes through Baghdad What does Washington lose? Iraq has always been the ideal arena for U.S. pressure on Iran — through the dollar and the banking system. A prime minister with a dossier like this closes that door from the inside. Washington is seeking today to shut down all Iranian financial escape routes before the full economic siege begins. And Baghdad elects, at this precise timing, a man with this dossier. The conclusion Ali Al-Zaidi is not just a "settlement candidate." He is the model of the Iraqi deep state in its purest form: Money + Media + Network of relations + Political cover. And in the current regional equation — this is exactly what Tehran wants at the head of Baghdad.