One Day After Debt Payment Exemption to Iran, the U.S. Sanctions 14 Iraqi Banks

One day after the United States granted an exemption for Iraq to pay its electricity debt to the Islamic Republic, some sources say the U.S. has sanctioned 14 Iraqi banks due to dollar transactions with the Iranian government and its affiliated financial institutions. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Treasury Department states that the aim of these sanctions is to prevent money laundering and the transfer of U.S. dollars to Iran. The newspaper quoted American officials as saying that the new sanctions began on Wednesday because new information had reached the U.S. indicating that these Iraqi banks had assisted the Islamic Republic in money laundering and transferring dollars. An American official stated that in recent months, the Islamic Republic has increased its activities for the illegal transfer of dollars from Iraq into the country. Previously, it was announced on Tuesday that the U.S. had recently authorized Iraq to pay its 2.5 billion euro debt to Iran for gas and electricity imports with humanitarian goods. Critics of the Biden administration labeled this move as a concession to the Republic, and even Jim Risch, a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that the Biden administration does not have a serious policy towards Iran. Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, told the Israeli publication Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, July 18, that the House of Representatives opposes any agreement between the government and officials of the Islamic Republic without congressional oversight. The Biden administration rejects this criticism. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said on Wednesday that the recent exemption was the twentieth such authorization granted since the agreement to facilitate Iraq's debt payments for purchasing electricity from Iran. The new U.S. exemption; Iraq's debt payment to the Islamic Republic this time to non-Iraqi banks. Behzad Ahmadi-Nia: Iraq's debt to the Islamic Republic will likely go to banks in Oman or the UAE. The Iraqi Prime Minister entered Syria to 'strengthen bilateral relations.' Sullivan emphasized that we are not close to the JCPOA; Kanani: The negotiation path is 'still open.' Former U.S. officials: The gas barter between Iraq and Iran violates sanctions.