Shafaq News- Baghdad

The United States has reportedly warned Iraqi officials in recent days that Iraq’s access to oil export revenues could be reduced if Nouri Al-Maliki is appointed prime minister, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

The report, citing anonymous sources, said the warning came during a meeting last week in Turkiye between Iraqi Central Bank Governor Ali Al-Allaq and senior US officials. The meeting coincided with a social media post by then-US President Donald Trump emphasizing that Iraqi politicians cannot choose Al-Maliki as prime minister.

Sources told Bloomberg that “US frustration has grown because of Al-Maliki’s insistence on not stepping back from his candidacy.”

Al-Maliki announced today his readiness to relinquish his candidacy should the majority within the CF request it, emphasizing that he would not withdraw under pressure from any foreign entity, claiming that US President Donald Trump had been “misled about his bid for a third term by three foreign countries and domestic actors.”

Bloomberg sources also revealed that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, sent Ismail Qaani, commander of Quds Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), to Baghdad last month with a congratulatory message for Iraqi leaders on Al-Maliki’s nomination, “angering US officials.”

Currently, Iraq’s oil export revenues are deposited in an account held by the Iraqi Ministry of Finance at the US Federal Reserve Bank in New York, managed by the Central Bank of Iraq.

The Iraqi government uses these funds to cover expenses, including public sector salaries and pensions, totaling about $7 billion monthly. Additionally, around $500 million in cash is flown monthly from New York to Baghdad. Oil revenues account for roughly 90% of Iraq’s budget, making the country one of the most oil-dependent globally.