Shafaq News- Baghdad

The United Arab Emirates has blocked the export of a half-ton gold shipment to Iraq, Iraqi importer Ali al-Aqili told Shafaq News on Tuesday, despite all financial and customs procedures having been completed.

The claim has not yet been independently verified by official sources.

Al-Aqili explained that the Emirati authorities refused to allow the shipment to be exported following the resumption of flights between the two countries, relating the issue to the political aspect rather than the commercial. “There is no trade dispute over gold,’ he affirmed, noting that authorities in the UAE provided traders with documentation of the shipment’s weight along with a commitment to return it.

The gold importer also warned that the decision to block the shipment would negatively impact Iraqi traders.

Flights between Iraq and the UAE had been suspended during February and March due to the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, delaying gold shipments during that period.

On April 6, the Iraqi government designated the Trebil border crossing with Jordan as an official route for gold imports, pending the lifting of airspace restrictions caused by regional military activity.

According to the Central Bank of Iraq, the country’s gold reserves exceeded 160 tons at the beginning of 2026. Data from the World Bank for March 2026 showed Iraq ranked third among Arab countries with reserves of 174.6 tons, accounting for 24.6 percent of its total foreign currency reserves, behind Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.