US resumes dollar cash shipments to Iraq after months-long freeze

The United States has resumed some air shipments of US dollars to Iraq, several months after suspending the transfers, The New York Times reports, citing two senior aides to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.

"The dollar shipments to Iraq have resumed," Haider al-Aboudi, a spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister, told the newspaper.

Mudhar Muhammad Salih, a financial adviser to the prime minister, also confirmed that the cash transfers had resumed, according to the report.

In April, Washington halted a shipment of approximately $500 million in cash destined for Iraq and suspended parts of its security cooperation with Baghdad in an effort to pressure the Iraqi government over the activities of Iran-backed militias.

According to The New York Times, the suspension of cooperation and funding for Iraq's security services remains in effect despite the resumption of dollar shipments.

The White House, the United States Department of State, and the United States Department of the Treasury did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the report.

The measures were introduced as tensions following the Iran conflict intensified, with Washington accusing Iran-backed militias of carrying out attacks in Iraq, including repeated strikes targeting the US Embassy in Baghdad and the US Consulate in the Kurdistan region.

By Vafa Guliyeva