{"id":119901,"date":"2026-05-07T10:33:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/?p=119901"},"modified":"2026-05-07T10:33:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:33:46","slug":"us-plans-sanctions-on-iraqi-deputy-oil-minister-over-alleged-iranian-oil-sales-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/us-plans-sanctions-on-iraqi-deputy-oil-minister-over-alleged-iranian-oil-sales-scheme\/119901\/","title":{"rendered":"US plans sanctions on Iraqi deputy oil minister over alleged Iranian oil sales scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"
*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:8006eb4f-cce2-48cd-8a98-c841634e1e05-10\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-22\" data-scroll-anchor=\"false\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

The United States is preparing fresh sanctions against a senior Iraqi government official over accusations linked to Iranian oil sales, according to reports circulating Thursday.<\/p>\n

The US Treasury Department is expected to sanction Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly<\/span><\/span> over allegations that he helped facilitate Iranian oil exports in violation of existing US sanctions.<\/p>\n

Officials claim the Iraqi official played a key role in enabling large scale oil diversion operations involving Iranian crude.<\/p>\n

US accuses Iraqi official of disguising Iranian oil as Iraqi supply<\/h2>\n

According to the allegations, Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly allegedly authorized the diversion of Iraqi crude shipments and assisted in blending Iranian oil with Iraqi supply to hide the origin of the exports.<\/p>\n

US officials believe the operation helped Iranian oil move through regional smuggling networks while bypassing international sanctions.<\/p>\n

The accusations come as Washington continues intensifying efforts to limit Iran\u2019s oil revenues and crack down on sanctions evasion routes across the Middle East.<\/p>\n

The reported move would mark one of the rare instances where the United States directly sanctions a sitting senior Iraqi official.<\/p>\n

US increases pressure on Iraq over economic ties with Iran<\/h2>\n

The planned sanctions also highlight rising US frustration over Baghdad\u2019s ongoing economic and energy links with Tehran.<\/p>\n

Iraq and Iran maintain deep trade and energy cooperation, particularly in oil, electricity, and gas sectors. However, Washington has repeatedly warned Iraqi authorities against helping Iran bypass sanctions restrictions.<\/p>\n

Analysts say the latest action signals a tougher US stance toward regional networks accused of supporting Iranian energy exports.<\/p>\n

The development may also create diplomatic tension between Washington and Baghdad at a time when geopolitical instability and energy market uncertainty remain elevated across the region.<\/p>\n

Oil markets closely watch geopolitical tensions in Middle East<\/h2>\n

Energy traders are expected to monitor the situation closely because any escalation involving sanctions, Iranian oil exports, or Iraqi energy operations could affect global crude supply expectations.<\/p>\n

Oil markets have already remained highly volatile in recent weeks due to ongoing Middle East tensions and uncertainty surrounding US Iran negotiations.<\/p>\n

The latest sanctions move adds another layer of pressure to an already sensitive geopolitical and energy landscape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States is preparing fresh sanctions against a senior Iraqi government official over accusations linked to Iranian oil sales,\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":119902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[36316,535,1669,5218,33979,776],"class_list":["post-119901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-ali-maarij-al-bahadly","tag-iran","tag-iraq","tag-oil","tag-top-stories","tag-us"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119901"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119903,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119901\/revisions\/119903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}