Al-Alaq: We deny issuing decisions to punish a number of Iraqi banks, with the exception of Al-Huda Bank

The Governor of the Central Bank, Ali Al-Alaq, confirmed today, Wednesday, the adoption of a series of decisions aimed at preventing a number of banks and companies from obtaining the dollar, as a result of non-compliance with local and international requirements, while explaining that these measures come within the framework of efforts to enhance compliance with anti-money laundering rules.

Al-Alaq indicated, in an interview with the official agency, followed by NRT Arabia, that there is a difference between including a bank on the sanctions list by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and depriving a bank of dealing in dollars, stressing that this is not a punishment as much as it is an incentive to investigate… Commitment to international standards.

He explained that the concerned banks can correct their conditions to comply with the requirements, and that there is a committee that issues dozens of decisions weekly related to issues of compliance and combating money laundering, stressing that the Central Bank conducts continuous reviews and issues decisions to deprive some banks for reasons related to compliance with instructions and rules.

Regarding reports about US sanctions, Al-Alaq denied the news that spoke of the issuance of decisions by the US Treasury to punish a number of Iraqi banks, explaining that the reports currently relate to Al-Huda Bank and the Chairman of its Board of Directors.

Al-Alaq concluded by stressing that the Central Bank seeks to regulate the external transfer operations of banks, indicating that non-compliant banks will be deprived of obtaining the dollar until they adhere to the standards and achieve the safety of external transfer operations.

NRTTV.com

The US Treasury requests Iraqi cooperation to limit funding for armed factions

Shafaq News / The US Treasury Department suggested, on Wednesday, that it would obtain assistance from the Iraqi government in identifying and disrupting the financing of Iranian-backed armed groups in the country, especially after the killing of three American soldiers, as a result of a drone attack launched by an Iraqi faction.

In news translated by Shafaq News Agency, Reuters quoted a Treasury Ministry official as saying, “The Iraqi government must share information about such groups, especially after the killing of American soldiers in a drone strike.”

He added, “We are now in a situation where there has been a loss of American lives in Jordan.”

The official added, “These, as a whole, are groups that use and abuse Iraq and its financial systems and structure in order to perpetuate these actions,” adding, “We must address this directly.”

He continued: “It is clear that our expectations at the Treasury Department are that there is more that we can do together to exchange information and determine how these militias operate in Iraq.”

The official noted, “In just 12 to 13 months, we in the Treasury Department have witnessed a tremendous amount of Iraqi progress in the areas of preventing the dollar from reaching armed groups loyal to Iran.”

He added, “We are not trying to achieve perfection. This is a difficult area, and Iran is very good at this in particular,” stressing his confidence in “successfully making Iraq meet international standards for money laundering and terrorist financing, and this will lead to the removal of a large amount of unsupported financial capacity.” legitimacy of this system.

Shafaq.com

Zebari expects America to strike three factions in Iraq

Shafaq News / The leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Hoshyar Zebari, expected on Wednesday that the United States of America would target three factions under the banner of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” in response to the Jordanian attack.

Zebari wrote on the “X – Twitter” website previously, “The upcoming American strikes will be different and devastating against the axis of the Iraqi Islamic Resistance, which is composed of factions: Kataib Hezbollah, Al-Nujaba, and Sayyid Al-Shuhada, who openly targeted American forces and their facilities in Iraq and Kurdistan.” And Syria,” adding that “perhaps their responsible leaders and headquarters are currently against the government’s decisions.”

Yesterday, Tuesday, Iraq’s Hezbollah Brigades announced the cessation of its operations against American forces in order “not to embarrass the Iraqi government,” recommending its fighters to “temporarily passive defense.”

On Sunday, January 28, the US Army announced that three of its soldiers were killed and dozens wounded in a march attack targeting a base housing US forces in Jordan.

American media reported that the targeted site was “Tower 22”, a small military site in Jordan, near the country’s border with Syria.

In response to this attack, American officials said that the United States is considering launching strikes against armed factions in Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

US President Joe Biden said yesterday, Tuesday, that he had made a decision about the nature of the response to the Jordan attack, which killed 3 American soldiers and injured more than 30 others.

Biden explained that he “made the decision on the nature of the response to the attacks that killed American soldiers in Jordan,” adding, “We do not want a broader war in the Middle East.”

Shafaq.com

The American withdrawal from Iraq…fact or illusion?

Samir Daoud Hanoush: In every conversation about a dialogue between Iraq and America, that dialogue provided examples of the manipulation of words and terminology in the use of deceptive rhetoric that carried ambiguous messages and fragmented concepts among the tools of war of minds and hearts.

At a time when the Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced the agreement with the American side to form a committee to begin talks on the future of the American-led military coalition in Iraq to coordinate on a timetable for the gradual withdrawal of forces and end the mission of the international coalition, the statement of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin regarding the work of the working group meetings was The US-Iraqi Supreme Military Committee indicates the continuation of security and military cooperation through a sustainable bilateral security partnership between the United States and Iraq without indicating a withdrawal of American forces, which means the continuation of American influence in Iraq and leads to the inevitable result of postponing the withdrawal or at least calming the situation in the region until The completion of the American elections scheduled to be held in November of this year, which is a gain at a time when America is betting on it to resolve the problems of its elections or the Gaza war.

Despite the seriousness of the government of Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani in drawing a road map to regulate the relationship between the two sides and the Iraqi desire for American withdrawal, it is still a long way off and it is hard work. It is too early to reveal the next steps now, according to Fadi Al-Shammari, Al-Sudani’s political advisor, confirming, adding that the decision will not be a patchwork solution. According to his description.

The American statement indicated that “American military personnel are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government as part of the Operation Inherent Resolve mission to advise, assist and empower Iraqi security forces in their ongoing fight against ISIS.”

The model of the American statement in which he addressed public opinion considered that the beginning of the Military Committee (HMC) process reflects the development of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Iraq under the Strategic Framework Agreement, which means that the decision does not necessarily include withdrawal from Iraq, but rather leads to achieving a sustainable security relationship and paints a new picture. This relationship is the opposite of what some Iraqis who dream of the occupation forces leaving their country imagine.

The committee’s work, which will begin in the coming days to implement the commitment that the two parties signed during the Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue between the United States and Iraq (JSCD), which was held from (7-8) August 2023 in Washington, D.C., depends on three factors, namely the threat posed by ISIS. And the operational and situational requirements and capacity levels of the Iraqi security forces. Working groups of military experts will study these three factors and provide advice to the Supreme Military Committee (HMC) to ensure that ISIS cannot re-emerge.

It is known that the United States deploys approximately 2,500 military personnel in Iraq to provide advice and support to the Iraqi armed forces to prevent the return of terrorist organizations.

The Washington Post quoted Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh as denying that the Iraqi-American Supreme Military Committee talks announced by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the US Department of Defense were related to the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.

Singh notes that the issue is whether Iraq is prepared to succeed in defending its own security and sovereignty and how the United States can support Iraq in doing so.

According to the newspaper, talks between Baghdad and Washington on the issue of presence were ongoing even before the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, which exacerbated the tension between the American forces and the armed factions, while stressing that they are not negotiations for withdrawal.

It was noteworthy, at a time when Iraq was actively starting its dialogue on the future of the military alliance, that the American embassy in Baghdad significantly reduced its staff in conjunction with the Gaza war, which led to the suspension of the issuance of visas to ordinary citizens, as they are currently granted only to high-level government delegations, according to a diplomatic source. With US President Joe Biden intending to nominate Ambassador Tracy Ann Jacobson to the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Republic of Iraq, instead of Ambassador Elena Romanowski.

The factor of time and procrastination is what Washington is betting on to alleviate the volume of attacks that have begun to increase on its bases in Iraq and to calm the situation, even if only temporarily, until Biden’s chances of winning a second term or leaving the White House are revealed. This is a summary of what is going on in the story of the American withdrawal.

Almaalomah.me

More than $600 million in Iraqi currency auction sales in a week

Shafaq News / The Central Bank of Iraq’s total sales of hard currency to the US dollar during the past week amounted to more than 600 million dollars.

Shafaq News Agency correspondent stated that the Central Bank sold during the last week and for the three days in which the auction opened 674 million 21 thousand and 96 dollars, at a daily rate of 224 million 673 million 698 dollars, lower than what it recorded last week, which amounted to 883 million 860 thousand. And $97.

The highest dollar sales were for Sunday, when sales amounted to 221 million, 898 thousand and 486 dollars, while the lowest sales were for Thursday, when sales amounted to 209 million, 994 thousand and 98 dollars.

Foreign remittance sales during the past week amounted to 575 million 301 thousand and 96 dollars, an increase of 88% compared to cash sales that amounted to 71 million 720 thousand dollars.

The sales were in the form of cash and transfers abroad to finance foreign trade, while the selling price of documentary credits and international settlements for electronic cards reached 1,305 dinars per dollar, while the selling price of transfers abroad and the cash selling price reached 1,310 dinars per dollar.

Shafaq.com

Economic: For these reasons, dollar prices are gradually declining

The economic expert, Safwan Qusay, suggested that control over the exchange rate would continue and that it would gradually decline, attributing this to the fact that Iran and the sanctioned countries now have common financial systems that reduce the demand for the dollar from the Iraqi market or other markets.

Qusay told “ Jarida ”, “The policy of diversifying currencies at the level of Iraqi banks and the desire of merchants to obtain goods immediately away from the electronic platform by dealing in the Emirati dirham, the Turkish lira, the Indian rupee and other currencies, which can reduce the waiting period for these merchants.” Thus, part of the demand that was fed through the parallel market, especially for small merchants, withdraws into the banking system, and thus the demand for the dollar in the informal market gradually decreases.”

Qusay expressed his hope that “the Central Bank’s measures will succeed in finding an appropriate mechanism to deal with imports from the sanctioned countries, through the joint account window with Oman or Qatar, to feed the private sector, especially the Iranian one, with a portion of the funds supervised by the US Federal Reserve, so that the dollar will decline in the informal market.”

It is clear, according to Qusay, that “Iran has gradually found alternatives to the local market. It is dealing with Russia directly and with China, and part of the reason for the gradual decline, which may be below 1,500 during the coming period, is that the Iranians and the sanctioned countries have joint financial systems that reduce… “Demand for the dollar from the Iraqi market or other markets.”

He explained, “The volume of trade exchange with the Iranian side for the year 2023 decreased to 6 billion, while it had reached 10 billion dollars annually or more. This indicates that Iranian merchants have begun to deal with other countries such as China, India, and Russia, and thus the demand for those who trade has decreased.” By exporting goods and recovering their money from the informal market.”

At the conclusion of his speech, Qusay suggested that “control of the exchange rate will continue and it will gradually decline until it returns to the regular price, even after a while.”

Jaredaiq.net

Plasschaert sends an end-of-year message to the Iraqis: Bright opportunities are on the horizon

Shafaq News / The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, confirmed today, Saturday, that Iraq has an excellent opportunity for rapid progress in its sustainable development.

Plasschaert said in an end-of-year message followed by Shafaq News Agency: “Going back to last year, I said that, with political stability and bright opportunities on the horizon, Iraq has an excellent opportunity to advance rapidly in its sustainable development, and a year later, several important steps and promising initiatives have already emerged.”

She added, “While the country is in a position to seize the many opportunities available to it, doing so will not be an easy task, and therefore, I can only echo the words of Secretary-General António Guterres during his visit earlier this year: “The United Nations is committed to supporting Iraq.” To consolidate its democratic institutions and advance peace, sustainable development and human rights for all Iraqis.”

She continued by saying: “On behalf of the United Nations family in Iraq, I wish you all a happy New Year full of peace and wellness.”

Shafaq.com

Will the decision to reduce oil production affect dollar prices in Iraq?

Information/private… Today, Saturday, a member of the House of Representatives, Intisar Al-Jazairi, explained the extent of the impact of Iraq’s reduction in oil production on the dollar exchange rates in local markets, while she considered the government’s policy to have “a great influence” on the exchange rate.

Al-Jazairi said, in an interview with the Maalouma Agency, that “the economic policy followed by the Iraqi government has greatly affected the exchange rates of the dollar in local markets,” expecting “the continued decline of the dollar locally.”

She added, “The effect of the voluntary reduction in oil production depends on whether or not it exists with the exchange rate in Iraqi markets, especially since oil exports depend mainly on the dollar.”

The member of the House of Representatives explained, “The Iraqi government has taken a decision regarding reducing oil production until the first quarter of 2024, but it has not yet been implemented,” pointing out that “the dollar prices during the next year and the events that will take place in the world, alone will determine the position of the government and Parliament.” of the reduction decision.

Earlier, economic affairs specialist Muhammad Al-Saadi confirmed that Iraq faces a valuable opportunity to maximize oil revenues by exploiting the reduction in oil production and achieving an increase in prices.

The OPEC Plus oil organization had decided, earlier, to reduce the oil production of member states, including Iraq, after the significant decline witnessed by the global market, and to once again increase demand for black gold.

Almaalomah.me

Sudanese Advisor: The dollar is declining, prices are stabilizing, and expectations are optimistic

Mazhar Muhammad Salih, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Financial Affairs, announced today, Thursday, a decline in the annual growth of prices in Iraq, according to a statement by international monetary experts during their recent consultations with the Iraqi official side.

Saleh told the official agency, followed by the 964 Network , that “according to what was announced by the statement of the International Monetary Fund expert delegation in its recent consultations with the official Iraqi side,” the growth rate in non-oil GDP is expected to reach about positive 5%, and in our estimate that this The optimistic expectations reflect great economic dynamism in the growth movement of the real and service sectors outside the oil sector, as a result of the renaissance of investment in the construction sector, infrastructure, digital services and various interconnected activities. This increase in growth is equivalent to almost twice the growth of the population, which means that it has positive effects on the prosperity of… Individual income growth is linked to the level of employment, use of human resources, and reducing unemployment rates.”

He added, “Price spikes may occur individually, but what concerns us is the stability of the general level of prices, so it is noted that the increase in growth in price rates is decreasing, as the annual growth rate of prices decreased from 7% last January to 3.7% last month.” November of this year compared to November of last year.”

Saleh continued, “On the other hand, the exchange rate in the unregulated market has not witnessed new rises. Rather, today it is in a gradual decline. The more regular the work of the compliance platform is and the more banks respond to anti-money laundering requirements in a transparent manner, the more transfers will increase through the external transfer platform, which is the responsible platform.” On meeting the private sector’s foreign currency needs by 85% to finance trade.”

He noted that “the needs of travelers are met through two ways: credit cards and cash dollars, and that private banks have imported cash dollars for themselves to meet the needs of their customers from their dollar accounts in amounts that have exceeded tens of millions of cash dollars in recent days, and they are continuing normally based on the regulations.” issued by the Central Bank of Iraq in this regard.”

He pointed out that “the commodity market has begun to be supported by a diversified commodity supply through the movement of additional government imports, especially food, medicine, building supplies and spare parts, all of which are supplied at a fixed exchange rate of 1,320 dinars per dollar, which is the factor that contributes to the stability of the general price level and counters market noise.” Illegal and irregular exchange accounts for only 10% of foreign currency circulation.”

964media.com

Nine countries are preparing to enter the world of investment in Iraq

Information / Baghdad… Representative Baqir Al-Saadi confirmed on Thursday that there is a desire among nine countries to enter into vital investments in Iraq.

Al-Saadi said in an interview with Al-Maalouma, “Security stability has stimulated investment activity and attracted capital in most of the country’s governorates, which increases the chances of economic recovery and the creation of vital sectors that contribute to crystallizing objective solutions to many crises, including housing.”

He added, “The Sudanese government has actually called on 9 countries, including Arab ones, to invest in 3 vital sectors, most notably housing, while providing a safe environment and a climate that contributes to attracting capital,” stressing that “the investment rate during 2023 is the highest after 2003.”

He pointed out that “Iraq is focusing on strategic investments, especially with the launch of large development projects, most notably the Iraqi Development Road, and achieving great completion rates in the large Al-Faw port, which will create a greater investment climate in the coming years.”

Iraq is distinguished by the diversity of investment opportunities available, especially housing, agriculture, industry and other industries.

Almaalomah.me