The transfer of US dollars from the United States to Iraq has resumed following a suspension intended to pressure the country to distance itself from Iran, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing aides to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
“The dollar shipments to Iraq have resumed,” prime minister spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi told the NYT. “The problem has been resolved.”
Prime Minister and financial advisor Mudhar Muhammad Salih confirmed the resumption of transfers to the NYT, while an anonymous Iraqi official noted that the Trump administration's suspension of funding and cooperation with Iraq's security services remained in effect.
According to the NYT, the US government initially stopped the transfers in April, which included withholding earnings from Iraqi oil sales.
The report cited an Iraqi Kurdish official who attributed the measures to a response to the smuggling of American currency by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.
The NYT reached out to the US State Department, which did not respond.
Iraq launches anti-corruption crackdown
Al-Zaidi had been leading a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown in Iraq in recent days, with forces detaining Iraqi politicians and officials across the political spectrum.
According to reports, $15 million in cash was found in the home of Iraqi parliament member Alia Nassif, whose son had worked with former Iraqi prime minister Mohammed al-Sudani.
In an incident on Tuesday, $4 million was found in a vehicle at a checkpoint between Saladin and Diyala, according to Iraq's Shafaq News, citing a security source.
Iraq's state news agency published the names of those arrested thus far, including Iraqi civil servants, directors general, politicians, and businessmen.