Shafaq News– Erbil

The United States on Tuesday called on Baghdad to release overdue public-sector salaries to the Kurdistan Region.

According to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government, during a meeting, Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and US Chargé d’Affaires in Iraq Joshua Harris stressed the need to respect the federal framework governing the Kurdistan Region and ensure regular salary transfers, particularly for November and December, which have yet to be paid.

The talks come as prolonged negotiations among Iraqi political blocs over the formation of a new government delay budget decisions, exacerbating long-standing financial disputes between Erbil and Baghdad over revenue transfers and public-sector funding.

Read more: Into 2026, Baghdad and Erbil face the same disputes—with higher stakes

Under a revenue-sharing agreement between the Region and Baghdad, the KRG must transfer oil and non-oil revenues to Baghdad in return for Kurdish financial entitlements, particularly salaries. The Kurdish government says Baghdad has paid only 41 percent of those dues over the past three years, describing the gap as an “investment blockade” that has intensified fiscal pressure.