US dollar rises against Iraqi dinar in Sulaymaniyah; Iranian toman weakens

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — Currency dealers in Sulaymaniyah reported on Sunday that the US dollar rose against the Iraqi dinar while the Iranian toman continued to lose value. Market data showed 100 US dollars trading at approximately 155,750 Iraqi dinars, with the same amount exchanging for 12,550,000 Iranian tomans. Other foreign currencies recorded in the city included 100 euros at 176,000 dinars, 100 British pounds at 203,000 dinars, 1,000 Swedish kronor at 147,000 dinars, and 1,000 Norwegian kronor at 132,000 dinars. Economist Kaveh Sheikh Ahmed attributed the dinar's weakness to regional security and political tensions, particularly uncertainty over developments in Lebanon and Iran's possible response. He also pointed to the federal government's unified customs tariff system, known as Asycuda, at border crossings, saying some traders had sold dollars and bought dinars in expectation of the system, and that delays or incomplete implementation had shifted market balances. Sheikh Ahmed linked the toman's decline to Iran's efforts to withdraw dollars from the market and increase the local money supply. He dismissed media reports claiming the dollar could reach 180,000 dinars, saying such claims were not supported by current economic data.