Hussein and Blinken discuss US sanctions on Iraqi banks

INA-  Baghdad


Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Fuad Hussein, along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, spoke about the US Treasury Department's sanctions against Iraqi banks. 

"Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein received a phone call from the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken, within the framework of following up on the most prominent developments and regional and international issues of common interest," reads a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Iraqi News Agency (INA) obtained. "During the call, they also touched on the attacks launched by the United States of America on military and civilian sites in the areas of Akashat and Al-Qaim, which targeted Iraqi security forces and resulted in the martyrdom of a number of security forces and Iraqi civilians."

"The Government of Iraq's rejection of such attacks and the need to stop them and that Iraq should not be an arena for settling scores between rival countries," made clear the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He furthermore reiterated "the need to return to dialogue and negotiations within the framework of the meetings of the Supreme Military Committee."  
 
In order to address the escalating challenges in the region, the statement went on, "The two sides also stressed the importance of working to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries and continuing coordination and consultation during the coming period to catch up on joint action moves."

In the statement, the minister also discussed the recent sanctions imposed by the US Treasury on seven Iraqi banks, which were preceded by sanctions on fourteen Iraqi banks. The reasons for the imposition of these sanctions were not given, and it was unclear from the statement whether Washington's imposition of the sanctions was motivated by political reasons, given that the US Treasury Department maintains regular communication with the Central Bank of Iraq, or by the banks' lack of discipline in following banking instructions and compliance rules.

"These banks have an important and significant role in financing the expenses of the ration card and providing the food basket for Iraqi families with limited income," the minister made clear, adding that "Iraq's keenness to build partnership and cooperation relations with friendly countries and joint work towards facing economic and security challenges in a way that supports the consolidation of stability in the region" was the official reason for the minister's call for the US Treasury to reevaluate its decision on the matter.   
 
 Secretary Blinken, for his part, expressed his eagerness to support the Iraqi government in a number of areas, particularly in the area of economic cooperation, and to carry on working and communicating between both sides.