Information/Baghdad… Today, Wednesday, the economic expert, Nabil Jabbar Al-Ali, warned of the policy of the US Treasury Department and the measures it took against Iraqi private banks.
Al-Ali told Al-Maalouma, “Depriving Iraqi private banks from dealing in dollars will affect the commercial movement represented by import and export through a decrease in foreign transfers granted by the Central Bank.”
He added, “Any sanctions from the US Treasury on Iraqi private banks will affect the exchange rate of the dollar against the dinar.”
Al-Ali pointed to “continuous American controls and pressure on private private banks inside Iraq.”
At the beginning of this month, the Central Bank announced a new list of banks that will be prohibited from dealing in dollars, as the list included the names of eight banks that were not previously on the list.
While the Economy, Industry and Trade Committee intends to hold a meeting with representatives of the Iraqi Private Banks Association and the banks that were included in the US sanctions list.
Once again I am going to report we are being leaned on to not talk about redemption stuff...Especially from banks who we expect to handle transactions and redemptions...They said they really need everyone to stay quiet right now. There is a whole lot I would like to say but right now it would be ill-advised. Just know that I am very happy and content about timing…and yes I think it is soon.
We got another bank story overnight from a wealth manager who is reaching out to clients saying “It is time- get everything prepared” He means to get currency together and make certain they have ID’s updated if needed. He says they are at “Any moment now”.
To me this is really encouraging as a lot of these stories are from bank personnel who used to say…”It’s a scam-don’t do it” when asked about buy foreign currency. Now they are telling me “you were right all along and get prepared”...we will not know the exact timing or the “when” until it actually happens. But they are now openly preparing many of their clients. We are hearing more and more repeat stories about this. But being leaned on hard to not share details right now.
From a member Tressy is saying Shelton has told her no more updates as it is jeopardizes the whole event …. I know it will be soon .. please keep yourself safe !!
AN AMERICAN OFFICIAL SETS A CONDITION FOR STOPPING STRIKES IN IRAQ
Today, Friday (February 9, 2024), an American official set a condition for stopping American air strikes in Iraq.
Al Jazeera quoted an American military official as saying, followed by Baghdad Today, “We made it clear to the Iraqi government that we will not launch strikes if the attacks on our forces stop.”
He added, “We strongly urge the Iraqi government to take action against (the armed factions).”
It is noteworthy that the strike carried out by the United States in Iraq in the middle of this week, which resulted in the assassination of Abu Baqir al-Saadi, a prominent leader in the Hezbollah Brigades , created more tension in relations between Washington and Baghdad, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
On Wednesday, US Central Command said that Al-Saadi “was responsible for direct planning and participation in attacks on American forces in the region,” it said.
The spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasoul, said in a statement yesterday that the American strikes “threaten civil peace and violate Iraqi sovereignty.”
He added, “This path pushes the Iraqi government more than ever before to end the mission of this coalition, which has become a factor of instability for Iraq and threatens to drag Iraq into the circle of regional conflict.”
The United States deploys about 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of the international coalition established in 2014 to combat ISIS.
Yesterday, Baghdad announced the resumption of talks with the United States, next Sunday, with the aim of discussing the future of the international coalition in the country.
These talks, which aim, according to Baghdad, to “end the coalition’s mission” in Iraq, were suspended in late January after the attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan.
US STATE DEPARTMENT: THE STRIKES AGAINST THE MILITIAS IN IRAQ WILL NOT BE THE LAST
The US State Department confirmed on Thursday that the strikes launched by the United States against pro-Iranian militias in Iraq will not be the last in a series of reactions to the attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan.
Regional spokesman for the US State Department, Samuel Warburg, said in an interview with a program in Iraqi on “Al-Hurra Iraq” that will be broadcast at a later time, that the United States will hold accountable the party carrying out the attack on US forces in Jordan.
Warburg added, “The strikes represent a clear message to the militias and Iran that it is time to stop these attacks,” noting that the United States does not want to see any escalation in the region.
Warburg stressed that “the United States will take all necessary measures to protect itself and American forces anywhere, whether in Iraq, Syria, or anywhere else.”
The American official said that the strikes of the past few days will not be the last regarding American reactions. “We have other tools that we can use, including military reactions or imposing sanctions.”
Warburg pointed out that “the Iraqi government has the responsibility to protect all the international coalition soldiers present on its territory because they are there at its invitation, and it has the responsibility to coordinate with us in order to protect them.”
The prominent leader of the Hezbollah Brigades militia in Iraq, Abu Baqir al-Saadi, was killed in a strike carried out by an American drone that targeted his car in a vital neighborhood in Baghdad on Wednesday evening.
The strike came a week after American raids in Iraq and Syria, and after Washington vowed to target armed factions linked to Iran after an attack on January 28 in which three American soldiers were killed in Jordan on the border with Syria.
In a statement on Thursday, the Iraqi government condemned “a clear-cut assassination by directing an air strike in the middle of a residential neighborhood in the capital, Baghdad, in a manner that does not care about the lives of civilians and international laws.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani launched talks with Washington regarding the future of the coalition, with the aim of setting a timetable that would allow a gradual withdrawal from the country.
Since mid-October, American forces and the international coalition in Iraq and Syria have been subjected to more than 165 attacks, a direct reflection of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.
Most of these attacks were claimed by the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, which includes militants in pro-Iranian factions, most notably the Hezbollah Brigades.
The factions say that their attacks come in solidarity with Gaza and against American support for Israel in its war with Hamas.
Officials in Washington said that the attack that took place in Jordan against American forces bore the “imprint of the Hezbollah Brigades,” which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States.
The United States deploys about 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of the international coalition established in 2014 to combat ISIS.
Several countries participate in this coalition, which supported the Iraqi forces in their fight against the Islamic State. These forces are still present in Iraq with the aim of providing advice and support to the Iraqi forces and preventing the re-emergence of the organization.