PM Barzani: Baghdad’s Policy of Withholding Salaries to Pressure Kurdistan ‘Will Certainly Not Succeed’

Peregraf

Masrour Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has stated that the Iraqi federal government’s policy of pressuring the Kurdistan Region by withholding salaries is "certainly destined to fail." He also accused federal officials of disregarding "constitutional rights and agreements."

Speaking at the launch of the "Kurdistan Visit" tourism development initiative, KRG Prime Minister Barzani said, "Federal government officials have unjustly, unlawfully, and unconstitutionally decided to withhold the salaries of the people of Kurdistan. This is part of their policy to pressure the Kurdistan Region and halt its progress and prosperity."

The KRG Prime Minister emphasized, "They will certainly not succeed in these efforts," adding, "With the support of Almighty God and the resilience of the people of Kurdistan, we have overcome many difficult situations in the past."

Barzani affirmed, "We assure the people of Kurdistan that we will never, under any pressure, relinquish our constitutional rights."

According to Barzani, the KRG has fulfilled all its constitutional obligations "excessively and beyond requirements." Therefore, he said, they expected the constitutional rights of the people of Kurdistan to be respected. However, he noted, "There is no respect for constitutional rights, nor even for the agreements they themselves have signed."

"The officials in Baghdad must understand that Iraq is a federal country, and the Kurdistan Region is a constitutional entity under the constitution. They must deal with it within that framework," the KRG Prime Minister stated.

This message from the KRG Prime Minister comes as ten days of June have passed, and the salaries for May for Kurdistan Region public employees remain unpaid. Before Eid al-Adha, Iraq's Finance Ministry informed the KRG regarding the salaries of May, stating that the Kurdistan Region’s 12.67% share of the budget, as stipulated, had been fully exhausted and that no further funds could be sent to the Region.

On May 28, 2025, Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami issued a formal document—referencing audits by the Financial Supervision Bureau—detailing the Kurdistan Region’s oil and non-oil revenues (2023–2025). This financial data was central to Baghdad’s decision to halt salary transfers to the KRG.

The document signed by Iraq’s Finance Minister Taif Sami, was addressed to the KRG. It stated, "To date, the Kurdistan Regional Government has not implemented the Iraqi Tawteen process (establishing bank accounts for public employees in Kurdistan via Iraqi Federal banks to facilitate direct deposit)."

This correspondence comes at a time when only four months’ worth of salaries have been distributed in the Kurdistan Region this year, putting the fate of the remaining eight months’ salaries at risk.

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, an informed source told Peregraf that it is highly unlikely May salaries will be disbursed on time before Eid al-Adha. This is because the KRG’s Ministry of Finance has requested that the salaries be packaged and treated as a liability under the government’s responsibility. The source added, "When the ministry makes this decision, it knows it will be unable to distribute salaries until mid-next month or even later." The salary crisis continues to deepen economic hardships for Kurdistan Region civil servants and their families.