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Chaldean Catholics in Iraq are praying that Pope Francis really will be able to visit their country in March.

Cardinal Louis Sako, the Baghdad-based patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, composed a prayer for all his faithful to recite together at Masses beginning Jan. 17.

Agenzia Nova, an Italian news agency specializing in international political and economic reporting, published a story Jan. 12 saying that a security and intelligence delegation from Italy had arrived in Iraq to tour possible sites for papal events with Iraqi security officials.

While the Vatican announced the dates for the planned trip -- March 5-8 -- a formal program had not been released as of Jan. 14, and Pope Francis said in an interview Jan. 10 that he was not certain the visit would be possible. There are obvious security concerns, but also questions about the making such a trip in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, reported Jan. 14 that the Chaldean Catholics were asking "the Almighty Lord to make possible the announced visit of Pope Francis to the land of the two rivers," the Euphrates and the Tigris.

The text of the prayer begins: "Lord our God, grant Pope Francis health and safety to carry out successfully this eagerly awaited visit. Bless his effort to promote dialogue, enhance fraternal reconciliation, build confidence, consolidate peace values and human dignity, especially for us Iraqis who have been through painful events that affected our lives.

"Lord, our Creator, enlighten our hearts with your light to recognize goodness and peace, and to realize them," the prayer continued. "Mother Mary, we entrust Pope Francis' visit to your maternal care so that the Lord may grant us the grace of living in a complete national communion and cooperate fraternally to build a better future for our country and our citizens. Amen."

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Chaldean Catholics in Iraq praying that pope visit will be possible - Union of Catholic Asian News

After a record-setting 2019, annual oil output fell by about 760,000 bpd as Iraq made extraordinary cuts to help support global prices.

The Iraqi Drilling Company completes drilling at the Gharraf oil field, Dec. 6, 2020. (STAFF/Iraq Oil Report)

UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect a new production estimate, which was revised upward based on new reporting.

Iraq's nationwide crude production rose slightly to about 4.05 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, capping a year of OPEC-related constraints that yielded the lowest output since 2015.

Fields managed by the federal government produced about 3.57 million bpd in December an increase of 3 percent compared to November while those under the authority of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) rose slightly to 477,000 bpd, according to an Iraq Oil Report analysis based on data gathered independently from each producing field. *

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UPDATE: Iraq production rises in December, capping an OPEC-constrained year - Iraq Oil Report

The United States has imposed counterterrorism sanctions through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on five individuals from Iraq, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, the US Department of the Treasury announced in a statement on Tuesday.

The five individuals are Muhammad Abbatay born in Morocco, Isma'il Fu'ad Rasul Ahmed from Iraq, Sultan Yusuf Hasan al-Arif from Saudi Arabia, Fuad Ahmad Nuri Ali al-Shakhan from Saudi Arabia and Niamat Hama Rahim Hama Sharif, orginally from Iraq, the statement said.

US has designated them each as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), according to the US Treasury Departments website.

US media reported on Monday that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to use newly declassified US intelligence to publicly accuse Iran of ties to al Qaeda in a speech on Tuesday, two people familiar with the matter said, as part of his last-minute offensive against Tehran before handing over to the incoming Biden administration.

(With inputs from agencies)

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US targets 5 individuals from Iraq, Morocco and Saudi Arabia with counter terrorism sanctions: Treasury department - WION

Prominent Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr has warned of postponing early elections scheduled for 6 June and called on the Iraqi people to update their electoral records.

Head of Al-Sadr's media office Haider Al-Jaber told reporters that "instigators of sedition" have called to cancel or postpone the early elections, adding that Al-Sadr warns against postponing the elections, and hopes that: "Everyone shows wisdom and works together for the success of these elections."

"Al-Sadr supports the campaign led by the prime minister against corruption," Al-Jaber explained, adding that all parties must support the campaign and refer the corrupt to the judiciary.

Last Saturday, Iraqi Minister of Culture Hassan Nazim confirmed the government's desire to have international observers oversee the elections to ensure fairness.

Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi stressed his government's determination to hold the early elections as scheduled on 6 June.

READ: Gunmen assassinate pro-Sadr military leader in Iraq

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Iraq: Prominent Shia leader Al-Sadr warns of postponing early elections - Middle East Monitor

CAIRO - Iraqi state TV announced Tuesday the country is suffering from a major electricity crisis following the drastic reduction of natural gas supplies by Iran, from 50 million to 5 million cubic meters.

Tehran says Baghdad must pay at least several billion dollars of an estimated $5 billion debt it owes Tehran for natural gas and electricity.

Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian met top Iraqi officials, including Electricity Minister Majid Hantush and Central Bank Governor Mustapha Ghaleb, during a visit to Baghdad on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Mustapha Qa'ani reportedly also met with Tehran's Shi'ite militia allies in Baghdad during the past several days.

The visits come amid tensions between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustapha Kadhimi and pro-Iranian Shi'ite militia commanders, including Qais al Khazali, leader of the Asa'ib Ahl al Haq militia, over the arrest of militia members accused of firing rockets at the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad.

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a press conference Tuesday in Tehran that Iran has no ties to the militias firing rockets at the embassy and that Washington "knows that many different groups in Iraq want to end its occupation of the country." He accused the U.S. of provoking tensions in the region.

The spokesman said Washington is responsible for tensions in the Gulf, adding it must stop what he called its "cross-border intervention" and "adventurism" in the region.

Next week marks the first anniversary of a U.S. drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani as his convoy left Baghdad Airport. Some Iranian leaders and their Iraqi militia allies have vowed to avenge Soleimani's death.

Former Iranian President Abolhassan Bani Sadr told VOA the situation in Iraq is chaotic and the Iraqi government is both "financially bankrupt and politically paralyzed." For these reasons, he said he doubts Iran is trying to topple the government of Prime Minister Kadhimi.

He said toppling the regime only makes sense when there is a functioning government, but the state is paralyzed, and the government does not function. Iraq, he added, is now struggling to maintain both an internal equilibrium between Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds, and an external equilibrium between Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Bani Sadr said that he doesn't think Iran will react on the one-year anniversary of the death of Soleimani, because it is "not militarily strong enough." Most Iranian government spokesmen, he said, are calling for "non-military revenge."

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said in November that U.S. forces inside Iraq would be drawn down to approximately 2,500 personnel by January 2021.

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Iran's Energy Minister Visits Iraq After Slashing Natural Gas Exports - Voice of America