Legal expert Ali al-Tamimi said reports about the US withholding Iraqi funds raise serious concerns about financial sovereignty and legal agreements governing those funds.
He argued that if the reported delay in transferring $500 million tied to Iraqi oil revenues is accurate, it could conflict with the existing memorandum governing how those funds are handled.
Al-Tamimi said Iraq’s oil revenues held at the Federal Reserve are governed by agreed mechanisms, and he described any unilateral disruption as a serious issue.
He also linked the matter to broader questions about Iraqi sovereignty, Central Bank independence, and the risks of using financial channels as political pressure.
According to him, such actions could affect exchange rate stability and ultimately impact ordinary citizens if they disrupt the normal flow of dollars into the economy.
He called for Iraq to strengthen its financial independence over time, including diversifying reserve arrangements and reviewing banking agreements to reduce vulnerability.
In simple terms, al-Tamimi’s message was that Iraq should protect its financial sovereignty and work toward reducing reliance on any single external channel.
