WALL STREET JOURNAL: WASHINGTON FREEZES $500 MILLION OF IRAQI FUNDS
The Wall Street Journal revealed on Wednesday that the United States has halted the transfer of $500 million destined for Iraq, along with freezing a number of security cooperation programs with Baghdad, in a move aimed at increasing pressure on Iranian-backed groups.
The newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that the US Treasury Department had frozen the transfer of about $500 million from Iraq’s accounts at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, funds resulting from the sale of Iraqi oil.
She explained that this shipment is the second that Washington has suspended since the start of its military operation against Iran, as part of escalating economic and security measures.
She also noted that US authorities have suspended funding for a number of training programs for Iraqi military forces and counter-terrorism units, in a move that reflects a trend to restrict security cooperation between the two countries.
According to the report, these measures are part of US efforts to pressure Baghdad and reduce its level of relations with Tehran, in light of escalating regional tensions.
The newspaper noted that Iraqi oil revenues have been deposited in accounts at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York since 2003, while the United States had previously temporarily suspended cash transfers to Iraq in 2015, due to concerns that some of those funds might reach ISIS.
