Iraq’s finance crackdown: Iraq’s Finance Ministry has launched an investigation into state lending, declining liquidity and possible corruption, including electronic-loan insurance payments and approvals at state banks, with findings routed to oversight bodies. Sanctions squeeze on aviation: US secondary sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector are making travel and cargo routes more erratic, with airports and service providers facing higher risk of losing access to the US financial system. Kurdistan security warning: The KRI Peshmerga Affairs Ministry says the Sept. 30 end of the US-led coalition’s Kurdistan presence leaves the region exposed, citing heavy drone and missile targeting during the recent US-Iran war and urging stronger air-defense coordination with Baghdad. Top-level talks in Baghdad: Iraq’s president, PM, parliament speaker and judiciary chief plan to discuss Iranian flight restrictions, US sanctions warnings to airports, and steps to bring armed factions’ weapons under state control as the coalition exit nears. Oil trade signals: India’s state refiner bought 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude at about a $28 discount to the October Dubai benchmark, highlighting how Hormuz-linked logistics and insurance costs are reshaping pricing. Markets update: The Iraq Stock Exchange logged over $4.58M in weekly trading value (up 8%), with ISX60 edging higher as activity remained uneven across listed firms. Energy corridor shift: Iraq-Syria border trade is increasingly centered on oil and fuel flows, with Syria shipping gasoline to Iraq as Hormuz disruptions push new routes. Corporate deal: Capricorn agreed to be taken over by Genel after DNO’s competing bid, keeping Kurdistan-linked assets in focus.