The United States has restarted some airlifts of US dollars to Iraq, months after suspending them to pressure the Iraqi government to distance itself from Iran, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two advisers to the Iraqi prime minister.
In April, Washington suspended cash payments from oil revenues, which are processed through the Federal Reserve in New York under a system established after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. At the same time, security payments were suspended after a series of attacks on American interests.
“Deliveries of dollars to Iraq have resumed,” the NYT quoted a spokesman for Iraq’s new prime minister, Haider al-Aboudi, as adding that “the problem has been resolved.”
The prime minister’s financial adviser Mudhar Muhammad Salih also confirmed the continuation of the transfer, the report said.
The US State Department referred an inquiry to the Treasury Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the NYT reports.
The announcement comes after Iraq launched an anti-corruption campaign this week that saw several officials arrested.
New Prime Minister al-Zaid’s actions came ahead of a planned visit to Washington, where he is expected to try to attract American investment and reaffirm his promise that pro-Iranian armed groups will hand over their weapons.
