Iraq PM orders ministries to pay salaries and pensions on schedule

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has directed the Ministry of Finance to disburse administrative expenses and salaries on their scheduled dates, his financial advisor Mazhar Mohammed Salih said. The directive covers public-sector employees, retirees and recipients of social protection benefits, with Salih stating that the payments will continue without delay. Salih said roughly 9 million Iraqis receive direct salaries or state allocations, a figure that rises to about 40 million when their dependents are included. He described administrative expenses as the government's top financial priority because they are directly tied to citizens' livelihoods and called salary payments a legal and financial obligation that must be met. Salaries and social allocations make up one of Iraq's largest public spending categories, supporting millions of workers, pensioners and beneficiaries of social assistance networks, according to the Prime Minister's Office. Past administrations have continued to treat wage and administrative payments as priorities to preserve social stability, despite repeated fiscal pressures linked to oil price volatility and economic strain. The government has not announced additional measures alongside the salary directive, and no further details on implementation were immediately available.