By John Lee. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has called on the US Treasury Department to reconsider its recent imposition of sanctions on Iraqi banks. During a phone call from the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, Minister Hussein explained that these banks have, "an important and major role in financing ration card expenses and […]
By John Lee. Transparency International has said that Iraq has improved its ranking, and maintained its score, in the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2023. From a total of 180 countries, Iraq came in at number 154, up 3 places on the previous year. This result puts it on equal ranking with Honduras, Azerbaijan […]
By John Lee. Various media sources say that Iraq has banned eight local commercial banks from making transactions in U.S. dollars. This precludes these banks from taking part in the Central Bank's daily dollar auction. The banks are reported to be: Ashur International Bank for Investment; Investment Bank of Iraq; Union Bank of Iraq; Kurdistan […]
By Bilal Wahab for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Two Tough Scenarios for U.S.-Iraq Relations Washington's ever-narrowing Iraq policy has left it with unpalatable choices, but muddling through is a better short-term option than […]
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Deep Dive: Why a US withdrawal from Iraq is off the table An important letter was delivered to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein last week. In a Jan. 24 meeting, US Ambassador Alina […]
By John Lee. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have renewed their call for Iraq to respect the agreement between the Iraq and Kuwait on the regulation of maritime navigation in the Khor Abdullah waterway. In September, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court declared the agreement to be unconstitutional. A joint statement issued on Wednesday at the conclusion […]
By John Lee. The US Treasury Department has sanctioned Iraq's Al-Huda Bank, and its owner and Chairman, Hamad al-Moussawi. On Monday, the Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) said the bank, "serves as a conduit for terrorist financing, as a foreign financial institution of primary money laundering concern." Along with its finding, FinCEN proposed imposing […]
By John Lee. Judge Haider Hanoun, head of the Federal Integrity Commission in Iraq, called on all countries, especially those parties to the United Nations and Arab anti-corruption agreements, to unite, cooperate, and combine efforts to mitigate the danger of corruption. He emphasized that corruption has become a phenomenon crossing national borders, and modern methods […]
By John Lee. US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Tracey Ann Jacobson (pictured) as Ambassador to Iraq. If approved by the Senate, Ms Jacobson will take over the role from Alina L. Romanowski, who has served in the post since June 2022. In a statement from The White House, Tracey Jacobson […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Commission of Integrity has arrested the General Manager of the Iraqi Cement Company and the director of a private company on charges of bribery. The arrests followed a tip-off from an investor who claimed to be a victim of extortion, having been asked for a sum of $500,000 in exchange for […]
UNDP continues to support the Government of Iraq in ending corruption and boosting foreign investment The UN Development Programme (UNDP)'s Anti-Corruption and Arbitration initiatives (ACAI) is achieving significant milestones midway through its five-year implementation. Funded by the European Union (EU), the project recently conducted its second steering committee on Sunday, January 21, at the State […]
By John Lee. Dana Gas has informed the market that a liquid storage tank at the Khor Mor facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was struck by a suspected drone on the evening of Thursday, 25 January. It said there were no injuries to personnel, but that production was temporarily suspended to put out […]
