Bloomberg: Washington threatens Baghdad with reduced oil revenues if Maliki returns to the premiership
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Washington had informed Iraqi officials in recent days that it might reduce Iraq’s access to oil export revenues if Nouri al-Maliki were appointed prime minister, given the United States’ view of him as being close to Iran.
The agency, in a report citing sources who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks, indicated that the United States issued a new warning during a meeting held last week in Turkey between the governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, and senior American officials.
Türkiye’s meeting came almost simultaneously with a social media post by US President Donald Trump, in which he stressed that Iraqi politicians could not choose Maliki.
The sources pointed out that American frustration increased due to al-Maliki’s insistence, who served as prime minister between 2006 and 2014, on not backing down.
In contrast, sources familiar with Tehran’s strategy reported that Iran informed Iraqi political leaders close to it of the need to resist Trump and his threats.
Sources told the agency that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei sent Ismail Qaani, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, to Baghdad last month carrying a congratulatory message to Iraqi leaders on the nomination of Maliki, a move that angered American officials.
Iraqi oil export revenues are currently deposited in an account in the name of the Iraqi Ministry of Finance at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and are managed by the Central Bank of Iraq.
The Iraqi government uses these funds to cover its expenses, including public sector salaries and pensions, amounting to approximately $7 billion per month. It also receives roughly $500 million in cash monthly, flown from New York to Baghdad.
Iraq is one of the world’s most oil-dependent countries, with oil revenues accounting for about 90% of its budget.
Shafaq.com