Miqrab AI’s analysis of 469 trending Facebook posts in Iraq on January 25, 2026, reveals a landscape dominated by high-stakes political developments and regional security concerns. The most engaging topic was a call to religious mobilization by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which garnered significant attention. This was followed by intense discussion surrounding the formation of the next government, particularly the political maneuvering between key figures like Mohammed al-Halbousi and Nouri al-Maliki. Concurrently, Prime Minister Mohammed Shias al-Sudani\u2019s official activities, including meetings on the economy and security, were widely reported, projecting an image of continued governance. Growing regional tensions were highlighted by the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier near Iran, prompting detailed military analysis from specialized pages. Domestic issues such as parliamentary proceedings, the work of security forces on the border, and controversies involving the media regulator also featured prominently in the online discourse.<\/p>\n
The most impactful story of the day centered on a post by Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on the social media platform “X,” calling for a major pilgrimage to Karbala. The page The Private Office of His Eminence Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr<\/a> (Post Impact: 100%)<\/strong> shared the announcement, which included the hashtags #Coming_Oh_Karbala and #Karbala_the_Kaaba_of_the_Free. The call for a “millions-strong march” was specifically for the Sha’baniyah pilgrimage. The page From Baghdad<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> amplified the message, quoting Al-Sadr’s directive to “anger the enemies of humanity and peace!”<\/em> The affiliated page Saraya al-Salam – Central Media Directorate<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> also disseminated the call, reinforcing the religious and political significance of the event for Al-Sadr’s followers.<\/p>\n Speculation about the formation of a new government was a major topic, with several pages reporting on a political maneuver led by former Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi to prevent Nouri al-Maliki from becoming Prime Minister. The page Baghdad<\/a> (Post Impact: 17%)<\/strong> and The Authentic Iraqi<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong> both shared lists of political parties allegedly forming a “blocking third” coalition of 117 MPs, exceeding the 110 needed to obstruct the vote. These parties reportedly include Taqaddum, Al-Siyada, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Al-Hikma, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), among others. This narrative suggests a significant political realignment aimed at controlling the outcome of the premiership race. Adding to the complexity, Rusly Al-Maliki – \u0631\u0633\u0644\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0627\u0644\u0643\u064a<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> reported that Washington has hinted at sanctions if a figure linked to armed factions is chosen for Prime Minister, a statement widely interpreted as being directed at Al-Maliki’s potential candidacy.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Mohammed Shias al-Sudani’s official activities were prominently covered, projecting an image of active governance. His official page, Engineer Mohamed Shia Alsudani<\/a> (Post Impact: 17%)<\/strong>, reported on his meeting with President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid to discuss the general situation in the country and regional developments, particularly in Syria. The readout from both his page and the Media Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> stressed the need to “preserve national unity” and proceed with forming a new government. In a separate meeting detailed by his official page<\/a> (Post Impact: 14%)<\/strong> and the Prime Minister’s Media Office<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong>, Sudani chaired a meeting on oil and gas projects. He directed officials to complete projects in the Artawi, Akkaz, and Mansouryah fields, emphasizing the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in all oil products and moving towards exports.<\/p>\n The arrival of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East generated significant discussion about regional tensions. The Tactical Cell<\/a> (Post Impact: 8%)<\/strong> reported that the carrier and its strike group had reached the Middle East after departing the South China Sea, stating it will be stationed in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Iran. Similarly, the page From Baghdad<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong> noted the carrier arrived “with its full striking gear.”<\/em> The posts framed the deployment as a significant military development in the context of the ongoing tensions with Iran, with pages sharing details of the carrier’s journey and strategic positioning.<\/p>\n The Iraqi Council of Representatives held a key session that was widely reported. According to the official page of the Iraqi Council of Representatives<\/a> (Post Impact: 11%)<\/strong>, the session, chaired by Haibet al-Halbousi with 226 MPs present, focused on security and border challenges with the Minister of Defense in attendance. The Council announced that the session to elect the next President of the Republic will be held next Tuesday. During the same session, several new MPs were sworn in, including Hiyam al-Yasiri. Her departure from the Ministry of Communications to join parliament was a related point of interest, as highlighted by the page Technology and Communications<\/a> (Post Impact: 26%)<\/strong>, which asked its followers to evaluate her tenure as minister.<\/p>\n Journalist Muna Sami’s reporting from the Iraqi-Syrian border drew praise and attention. On her personal page, Muna Sami<\/a> (Post Impact: 16%)<\/strong> announced the completion of her mission, stating she had “honestly conveyed what I saw of border control” by the Border Forces, the Iraqi Army, and the Popular Mobilization Forces. She extended her thanks to the Minister of Interior Abdul Amir al-Shammari, Minister of Defense Thabit al-Abbasi, and the PMF’s media director Muhannad al-Aqabi for their support. Her work was also the subject of a segment on the show “Al-Ghasala,” promoted by Journalist Qahtan Adnan<\/a> (Post Impact: 9%)<\/strong>, which framed her story as “Muna Sami left the media and went to fight with the Iraqi army.”<\/p>\n Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji was featured in posts discussing his critical political commentary. The page A Story and a Half<\/a> (Post Impact: 19%)<\/strong> shared a video clip described as a “sharp message from Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji.” In a similar vein, Breaking News<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> quoted him questioning those who follow Iran, saying, “Your religion that makes you followers of Iran, why doesn’t it prevent you from denigrating people, oppressing me, and attacking my honor and reputation?”<\/em> These posts portray al-Khafaji as a vocal critic of Iranian influence and its Iraqi proponents, highlighting ongoing internal debates within Iraq’s Shia political scene.<\/p>\n The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) took punitive action against a TV channel and two presenters, a story covered from both an informational and a personal perspective. Ahmed Al-Thawaq<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> reported that the CMC fined Zagros TV 40 million dinars for broadcasting without a license and issued 90-day bans against presenters Fattah al-Sheikh for violating “rules of propriety” and Ahmed al-Washah for violating “rules of integrity.” Confirming the news, Ahmad Al-Washah<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong>, one of the banned presenters, posted about his 90-day ban, stating it was for a video for which he had already been previously suspended for 45 days.<\/p>\n Minister of Interior Abdul Amir al-Shammari was shown engaging with public concerns on multiple fronts. The Media Office of the Minister of Interior<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> published photos of the minister meeting with families of martyrs, the wounded, citizens, and ministry personnel to directly address their needs. In a separate development, the news page Al-Khawa Al-Nadhifa<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong> reported that the minister directed the General Traffic Directorate to resolve the issue of vehicles registered under the “parallel project” by transferring them to the national system. Together, the posts depict a minister focused on both constituent services and administrative reforms.<\/p>\n Several pages reported on delays in the payment of public sector salaries for the month, causing concern among employees. The page Iraq<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> stated that the Ministry of Finance had returned all salary lists, insisting on the application of Cabinet Decision 40 and an increase in university allowances, warning that “salaries will be late.” In response to the uncertainty, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> issued a clarification, assuring its employees that their university service allowances are protected by law and cannot be changed. It attributed the delay to “formal, procedural measures related to auditing the financing requests” and confirmed it was working with the Ministry of Finance to complete the process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Miqrab AI’s analysis of 469 trending Facebook posts in Iraq on January 25, 2026, reveals a landscape dominated by high-stakes political developments and regional security concerns. The most engaging topic was a call to religious mobilization by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which garnered significant attention. This was followed by intense discussion surrounding the formation of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,73,78],"tags":[82,52,81,84],"class_list":["post-8298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facebook","category-iraq","category-daily","tag-daily-reports","tag-iraq-daily-social-media-trends","tag-iraq-public-opinion","tag-trending-facebook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8302,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8298\/revisions\/8302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Al-Halbousi Reportedly Forms Bloc to Thwart Al-Maliki’s PM Bid<\/h2>\n
3. PM Sudani Chairs Meetings on Economy and National Security<\/h2>\n
4. US Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Middle East Near Iran<\/h2>\n
5. Parliament Convenes, Sets Date for Presidential Election<\/h2>\n
6. Journalist Muna Sami Praises Border Security Forces<\/h2>\n
7. Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji Delivers “Sharp Message” on Iran<\/h2>\n
8. Media Commission Bans Presenters and Fines Zagros TV<\/h2>\n
9. Interior Minister Addresses Citizen and Traffic Issues<\/h2>\n
10. Controversy and Delays Over Public Sector Salaries<\/h2>\n