IRAQ’S NEW PRESIDENT MAKES IT CLEAR: IRAQ FIRST

April 12, 2026·33 min·2 clips

Iraq's new president declares 'Iraq first' in his first remarks after being elected.

1. My FX Buddies covers Iraqi domestic politics and the US-Iran strait negotiations on April 11, 2026. 2. The solo host is an independent analyst who follows Iraqi parliamentary news, Arab-language media, and US Central Command statements. 3. The episode asks whether Iraq's new presidential election and the Islamabad talks mark a genuine turning point or another stall. 4. Parliament elected Nazar Amidi as president after two rounds of voting conducted by paper ballot tallied on a whiteboard, with the entire process filmed and open to press. 5. Amidi's first public statement was 'I assure you that we will work on the principle of Iraq first,' which the host treats as a positive signal. 6. The Kurdistan Democratic Party issued a statement rejecting the election mechanism and refusing to use Amidi's name, despite him being a lifelong Kurdish politician who has served in previous governments. 7. Under Iraq's constitution, the largest parliamentary bloc has 15 days to nominate a prime minister, and the coordination framework began candidate discussions the same afternoon. 8. A 'surprising condition' in the coordination framework explicitly excludes both Nouri al-Maliki and Sadani from the premiership, which the host links to demands made by US envoy Joshua Harris approximately two weeks prior. 9. Ceasefire talks between the US and Iran continued overnight in Islamabad under Pakistani mediation, with UN Secretary-General Guterres present and Pakistani Prime Minister Shabazz Sharif hosting. 10. The host reports that delegations stayed through the night and planned a second session the following day, which she interprets as a sign talks are progressing rather than collapsing. 11. Iran's mine-laying ships in the strait were destroyed, and Tehran now claims it cannot reopen the waterway because the mines have drifted to unknown locations. 12. The host highlights the contradiction that Chinese vessels continue to transit the strait without incident, suggesting Iran's mine-location claim functions as a diplomatic stall. 13. US Central Command announced it 'has begun creating the necessary conditions for mine clearance' and is establishing a new shipping lane, with underwater unmanned vehicles joining the operation. 14. A US Navy ship reportedly attempted to transit the strait and was told to turn back, but Pakistani Prime Minister Shabazz Sharif later appeared to contradict that report. 15. The host reads from an article on 'radical infrastructure reform' that uses the word 'activating,' which she explains is the third and final step in Iraq's three-stage policy process: approve, implement, activate. 16. Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei is reportedly conducting affairs via audio conference due to a serious illness, fueling public doubt after AI-generated images circulated as proof of his health. 17. The host notes a satellite scan identified a cluster of mines, and mine-clearing ships are being sourced to address them. 18. The episode is delivered in a conversational, stream-of-consciousness format, with the host narrating from articles and Telegram posts in real time, including on-screen tangents and self-corrections. 19. Listeners following Iraqi dinar revaluation speculation, US-Iran negotiations, or Iraqi parliamentary politics will find dense daily updates here. 20. Listeners expecting polished production, structured analysis, or non-Iraq geopolitical coverage will likely find the format too loose.

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A plainspoken, on-the-ground read on a presidential vote and the procedural drama around it.

This episode follows a presidential contest in real time, with the host staying close to quorum disputes, ballot counting, press access, and the mechanics of how power gets decided.

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