…This accelerates the monetary reform agenda, forcing Iraq to revalue the Dinar to match economic strength and limit reliance on dollar-linked markets.
A currency must rise when under external pressure — this tariff could be the external pressure that provokes RV activation.
----
Trump stated in the letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani: “Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge Iraq a tariff of only 30% on any and all Iraqi products sent into the United States, separate from all sectoral tariffs.”
Iraq Parallel - Prices Decline in Baghdad 1,412 IQD and Erbil 1,410 IQD. Market experts attribute the dip to multiple converging factors. Per Iraq News.
First, the Central Bank of Iraq has increased oversight of currency flows.Authorities aim to reduce smuggling and unauthorized transactions, particularly those affecting dollar circulation.
Second, traders now anticipate more consistent dollar availability, which eases demand pressure in physical currency markets.
Additionally, international developments influence Iraq’s dollar pricing. For example, fluctuations in US monetary policy, regional oil revenues, and broader geopolitical movements all weigh on local sentiment. Traders must respond quickly to global cues, adjusting rates to reflect both risk and opportunity.
Many consumers and businesses welcome the lower dollar prices in Baghdad and Erbil. Reduced exchange rates often mean more affordable goods for importers, especially in sectors like electronics, medicine, and vehicle parts. However, market watchers remain cautious, noting that any unexpected shortage could reverse the downward movement quickly.
Despite uncertainties, the Iraqi dinar showed moderate strength in the latest trading cycle. Retailers and investors continue to monitor conditions closely, ready to respond to new policy signals or international developments that may affect exchange rates.
Iraq will end gasoline imports before the close of 2025, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Monday, citing expanded refining capacity and a transition toward fuel self-sufficiency.
Launching the implementation phase of the al-Diwaniyah Refinery expansion via video link, al-Sudani emphasized that Iraq now meets nearly all domestic fuel needs and is preparing to shift from importing to exporting refined petroleum products.
“The $800M project will raise Al-Diwaniyah’s refining capacity to 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) by adding 70,000 bpd in new units,” the Prime Minister stated, adding that facilities will also process 180 tons per day of liquefied gas and include a gasoline improvement unit (10,000 bpd), along with naphtha hydrotreating and isomerization components.
Refinery upgrades in Maysan and Najaf are also underway, with officials projecting that completion of these projects will position Iraq to begin exporting refined fuels for the first time in decades.
Although Iraq is a leading oil producer, years of underinvestment in refining infrastructure have forced reliance on fuel imports. However, al-Sudani pledged that the current strategy aims to convert 40% of crude production into domestic downstream products, reducing dependency and increasing revenue.
(Obviously Iraq is no longer purchasing refined fuels from Iran. This will hurt Iran. Next stop is LNG and electricity independence. Its coming….)
Any move on the part of the Central Bank of Iraq to restrict the citizens in the use of the dollar and more use of the dinar is yet another move towards monetary sovereignty for Iraq...
Now they have ditched the dollar, the parallel market is done and they are going back to sole use of the Iraqi dinar as their main currency within the country.
This is exactly how it was before the 2003 invasions and the hyperinflation conversion to the three zero notes and the use of the currency auctions (sole use of the US dollar to pay for imports).
AL-HASSAN FROM KARBALA: IRAQ IS NOT A POOR COUNTRY AND IS OPEN TO FOREIGN INVESTMENT.
Al-Hassan from Karbala: Iraq is not a poor country and is open to foreign investment.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Mohammed Al-Hassan, praised Iraq’s policy of disassociation from recent conflicts in the region, stressing that the country is now open to foreign investment to improve the economic situation. In a joint press conference with the Governor of Karbala, Nassif Jassim Al-Khattabi, Al-Hassan said, “What I witnessed in Karbala today is a vivid image of a united Iraq. What we witnessed embodies the meaning of national belonging, and that this belonging is above all considerations.”
He added, “The stability achieved in Iraq did not come by chance, but is the result of collective will and precious sacrifices.”
He stressed that “Iraq is not a poor country, but rather a country of goodness, with trained, educated and cultured human resources, not only at home but also abroad. Iraq has distinguished male and female scientists, even at NASA.” He added, “Iraq has distanced itself from the surrounding political problems, and in light of this, we expect to see nothing but a strong Iraq with a regional and global standing.”
