Shafaq News- Baghdad

The United States blocked the transfer of roughly $500 million in Iraqi oil revenues to Baghdad, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, pointing to US dissatisfaction over Iraq’s “slow progress” in curbing Iran-aligned armed factions.

Citing US State Department officials, the outlet noted that Washington will intensify pressure on Iraq to take clearer steps against groups it associates with regional attacks on US interests and allied positions, reiterating that continued attacks are straining bilateral ties.

Last week, the US State Department called on the Iraqi government to dismantle Iran-aligned armed groups, warning that those supporting them “would face consequences.” The move comes as the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed seven leaders of Iraqi armed groups on its sanctions list, holding them responsible for planning, directing, and carrying out attacks against US personnel, facilities, and interests in Iraq.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) —an umbrella body grouping Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions— previously stated that attacks against American interests in Iraq and across the region have been suspended on a conditional basis tied directly to the Iran-US two-week ceasefire. It added that any breach of the ceasefire, particularly a resumption of American-Israeli strikes against Iran, would trigger an immediate return to operations by factions within the group, potentially on a larger scale than before. Before the halt, IRI carried out hundreds of attacks against American sites in Iraq and the Gulf, according to successive statements.

Read more: Iraq’s Islamic Resistance after Ali Khamenei: the test of Mojtaba’s leadership