Rep. Congressman warns al-Sudani: Freeze on oil funds looms
US Republican Congressman Joe Wilson called for preventing Iraq from accessing its oil revenues held at the Federal Reserve, as a means to pressure Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to stop attacks on foreign oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region.
Posting on X, Wilson wrote, 'Attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi militias against US forces and American oil companies in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq will not be tolerated. ' urging al-Sudani to take decisive action, or 'face serious consequences.'
Attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi militias against US forces and American oil companies in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq will not be tolerated. Iraqi oil funds must no longer use the @federalreserve and Iraqi PM @mohamedshia must take decisive action or risk severe consequence.
— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) July 17, 2025
Meanwhile, A recent wave of nine drone attacks has dealt a serious blow to the Kurdistan Region's oil sector, triggering shutdowns and placing vital infrastructure under growing strain.
Following UN Security Council Resolution 1483 in May 2003, Iraq's oil and gas export revenues have been deposited in a special account at the US Federal Reserve known as the Development Fund for Iraq.
Five percent of these revenues were allocated to compensate Kuwait for damages from the 1990 invasion — a process that concluded in 2022 after Iraq completed payments totaling approximately $52.4 billion.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
13 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Iran to West: Balanced talks or no deal
Shafaq News – Tehran On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi ruled out resuming nuclear negotiations unless Western powers are prepared to agree to a "mutually beneficial" deal. In a post on X following a teleconference with EU and E3 foreign ministers, Araghchi stressed that it was the United States — not Iran — that abandoned the 2015 JCPOA agreement and halted talks earlier this year in favor of military escalation. He also warned that renewed European threats, including efforts to revive the snapback sanctions mechanism, would only undermine diplomatic efforts. I had a joint teleconference with E3 FMs & EU HR last night, in which I made the following points clear:It was the US that withdrew from a two-year negotiated deal -coordinated by EU in 2015- not Iran; and it was US that left the negotiation table in June this year and chose a… — Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 18, 2025 Although Tehran claimed adherence to the deal, nuclear diplomacy collapsed after a wave of Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory. The United States followed with its own strikes on June 22, targeting nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, and Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli cities and the US al-Udeid airbase in Qatar.
Shafaq News
13 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Georges Abdallah to walk free after 41 years in French prison
Shafaq News – Paris A French appeals court has approved the release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese leftist activist imprisoned for 41 years over the killings of two diplomats in the early 1980s. His conditional release, set for July 25, 2025, comes after decades of legal delays, international pressure, and repeated parole blockages. Abdallah, now 74, is one of Europe's longest-held prisoners. He was arrested in Lyon on October 24, 1984, and later sentenced to life in prison for complicity in the assassinations of US military attaché Charles R. Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Bar-Simantov, both gunned down in Paris in 1982. French authorities also linked Abdallah to an attempted assassination targeting a US consul in Strasbourg in 1984. A former teacher and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Abdallah co-founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), a Marxist-Leninist group that coordinated attacks in France during the early 1980s. The group claimed responsibility for the killings, citing retaliation for US and Israeli operations in Lebanon. Although Abdallah became eligible for parole in 1999, his release has been consistently blocked by French authorities, often following US diplomatic intervention. In both 2003 and late 2024, French courts approved his conditional release based on deportation to Lebanon. Each time, prosecutors appealed the decisions, invoking new anti-reoffending laws and citing his lack of remorse. On Thursday, however, a Paris appeals court ruled that Abdallah may be freed and expelled from France, provided he never returns. His attorney, Jean-Louis Chalanset, confirmed that Abdallah plans to return to Lebanon. The court based its decision on his "irreproachable" prison record and judged that he no longer posed a threat of engaging in terrorist activity. The decision remains subject to further appeal, but legal experts say there is little time for France's Court of Cassation to intervene before his scheduled release. Abdallah's case has long divided opinion. Supporters in Lebanon and parts of the international left regard him as a political prisoner and a symbol of resistance. The United States and Israel, however, continue to regard him as a terrorist who orchestrated politically motivated murders.
Shafaq News
29 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Syria prepares to redeploy forces to Suwayda
Shafaq News – Suwayda The Syrian Interior Ministry is preparing to deploy security forces to Suwayda amid ongoing clashes and widespread displacement, local media reported Friday. According to reports, government reinforcements are being mobilized to 'restore order' in the southern province following deadly confrontations between Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze armed factions. Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba, however, denied that any forces had yet entered the province. This comes despite a recent ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the violence, resolving internal disputes, and reintegrating Suwayda more fully into the Syrian state. Fighting broke out after armed groups allegedly attacked Bedouin civilians, torching homes and killing women and children. In response, tribal leader Sheikh Abdul Monem al-Nassif called for a mass mobilization to stop what he described as a massacre. Over 500 Bedouin families have reportedly fled Suwayda, while in the town of Shahba, more than 1,000 civilians are said to be held by armed groups following the withdrawal of state security forces. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 600 deaths as a result of the clashes. #المرصد_السوري #السويداء إلى نحو 600 شخص — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) July 17, 2025
