Tag Archives | United States

US Embassy Personnel to Return to Iraq

By John Lee. The US State Department has announced the end of Ordered Departure Status for personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and U.S. Consulate General in Erbil, effective July 17, 2025. Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce (pictured) stated that personnel who had been temporarily relocated outside Iraq will begin a phased return to their […]

Trump & Crypto: Will Bitcoin's Success Translate to the Iraqi Dinar?

By Guest Blogger. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Trump's Policies and Cryptocurrency: Will Bitcoin's Success Translate to the Iraqi Dinar? The relationship between political leadership and financial markets has rarely been as pronounced as it is today with cryptocurrency. Since Donald […]

Another Iraqi Oilfield Attacked by Drone

By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Natural Resources has confirmed reports of another attack on oil facilities in Northern Iraq. According to a statement on Wednesday, the Ain Safni oil field in the Sheikhan district of Duhok Governorate was attacked by drone. Ain Sifni is operated by US-based Hunt Oil. The KRG […]

HKN Energy to Develop Iraq's Hamrin Oil Field

By John Lee. The Ministry of Oil has signed an agreement in principle with HKN Energy to develop the Hamrin field in northern Iraq. The agreement, signed on Tuesday between North Oil Company (NOC) and the US-based company aims to increase the field's output to 60,000 barrels per day, up from the current 20,000-25,000 bpd, […]

Iraq "Exempt from US Tariffs on Oil Exports"

By John Lee. The Ministry of Trade has confirmed that Iraq's oil exports to the United States will not be affected by the newly announced 30-percent U.S. tariff, which was introduced by President Donald Trump to address the trade deficit with Iraq. Trade Ministry spokesperson Mohammed Hanoun said that oil exports are exempt from the […]

Trump's Looming Tariffs could Target 4 MENA Countries

By Adam Lucente for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. From Iraq to Algeria, Trump's looming tariffs could target 4 MENA countries The United States has a trade deficit with Iraq, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, according to the US […]

Leveraging Iran's Defeat to Strengthen US-Iraq Security Relations

By Michael Knights, 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. Leveraging Iran's Defeat to Strengthen U.S.-Iraq Security Relations Tehran's Iraqi proxies mostly sat out the twelve-day war, but this pragmatic restraint will not forestall growing […]

US Sanctions Iraqi-British National for Smuggling Iranian Oil

By John Lee. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions targeting networks involved in transporting and purchasing Iranian oil, including a group of companies led by Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said. The U.S. alleges that Said's network smuggled Iranian oil disguised as, or blended with, Iraqi oil, […]

EQIQ Invests in Iraqi-US Banker's Digital Banking Venture

By John Lee. UAE-based venture capital fund EQIQ has announced a $3-million anchor investment in a new digital banking startup led by Iraqi-American finance veteran Hussain Qaragholi (pictured). The total $15-million funding round will support the launch and early growth of the next-generation, AI-driven platform. The new venture aims to transform Iraq's underdeveloped banking sector […]

MEI: Iraq "tries to Assert State Authority during Crisis"

By Robert S. Ford for The Middle East Institute. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq tries to assert state authority during crisis The Iraqi government has long navigated a path between maintaining political ties with its Iranian neighbor and Tehran's […]