Iraq to pay July public salaries within 48 hours, lawmaker says

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Finance Ministry will pay July salaries for all civil and security sector employees within the next 48 hours, Finance Committee member Amir Nasrallah said. He attributed the delay to the ministry's review of financial data and accounts. The ministry had announced on the 22nd of the month that salary financing had been initiated. A source cited by local media said the delay stemmed from a cash squeeze and a decline in public revenues, which were affected by a drop in oil exports linked to a US-Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The source said the loss of export income reduced fiscal revenues and prevented the liquidity needed to cover civil servant salaries. Several government institutions have still been unable to pay staff because of the ongoing liquidity shortfall. The Finance Ministry has not publicly commented on the causes of the delay beyond the review of financial figures cited by Nasrallah.