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Washington.  — The US has reportedly warned Baghdad  that it could lose access to its central bank account at the Federal  Reserve Bank of New York if it goes through with its decision to expel  US troops from the region, according to Iraqi officials quoted by The  Wall Street Journal.

The publication cites other means of pressure that the US  administration could resort to, such as refusing to re-issue waivers on  sanctions against Iran.

Washington currently allows Iraq to import Iranian gas to fuel generators that supply a large portion of the  country’s power, despite sanctions, but the arrangement is set to expire in February.

An official in Iraq Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi’s office is cited  as saying the premier received a warning regarding the bank account, which holds billions from oil revenues, during a phone call on January 8.

Iraq, like numerous other countries, maintains government accounts at the New York Fed, via which it manages its national finances, including  revenue from oil sales; it takes out that money to pay government  salaries and contracts.

While there is no information as to how much of Iraq’s money the Fed  currently holds, according to Wall Street Journal it had $3 billion in overnight deposits from the country’s central bank at the end of 2018.

The threatened measure, which could inflict significant damage to the  country’s economy, is believed to have left some members of the Iraqi government stressing the need to maintain friendly ties with the US.

The officials are cited as emphasising that international pressure on Iraq’s economy would not sit well with Baghdad’s efforts to appease its citizens, as protesters gathered in Baghdad and southern Iraq on Friday to demand that both Iran and the US stop meddling in Iraqi politics.

“The US Fed basically has a stranglehold on the entire (Iraqi)  economy,” Shwan Taha, chairman of Iraqi investment bank Rabee  Securities, was quoted telling the publication.

Others, like the Prime Minister’s adviser Abd al-Hassanein al-Hanein, reportedly held the opinion that the Trump administration was bluffing.

“If the US does that, it will lose Iraq forever,” the Wall Street Journal cites Mahdi’s adviser as saying.

There has not yet been any official comment from the Federal Reserve  Bank of New York, or the US State and Treasury departments. Neither has there been an official response from Iraq’s prime minister.

The implied move by Washington is not unprecedented, writes The Wall Street Journal, recalling that in 2015, it halted Iraq’s access to its  funds at the Fed for a succession of weeks amid suspicion the money was  being funnelled towards funding Daesh.

The Federal Reserve has the power to cut off access to funds for countries under sanctions or if it suspects the money could violate US law, says the publication.

The Iraqi Parliament voted in a non-binding vote in an extraordinary session on January 5, to expel all foreign military forces from the  country, including the US troops that it invited in 2014 to fight Daesh.

“The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign  troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason,” the parliament’s resolution read.

The decision, which earned backing from Prime Minister Adel  Abdul-Mahdi, came as a response to the US conducting airstrikes on Iraqi  territory without discussing them with Baghdad or providing any warning.

The latest such strike killed top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and  two prominent members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces.

The US has not officially announced any intention to withdraw its  forces from the country.

While initially, following the vote, a letter  started circulating in the media in which Washington informed Baghdad of  preparations for an upcoming withdrawal, Mark Milley, chairman of the US  Joint Chiefs of Staff, later clarified that the letter was sent by “mistake”.

The US State Department has announced that any new American delegation sent to Iraq would discuss matters of returning to a strategic partnership rather than troop withdrawal with the country’s government.

The Trump administration expressed its keen disappointment over the  Iraqi parliament’s decision.

“We have a very extraordinarily expensive airbase that’s there.

It cost  billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We’re not leaving  unless they pay us back for it. We will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever.

It’ll make Iranian sanctions look  somewhat tame,” Trump said in response to the Iraq move. — Sputnik News/New Ziana.

Trump said in response to the Iraq move.

US President Donald Trump said Washington had taken preemptive action  against Soleimani to “stop a war”.

Iranian leaders, however, vowed to take revenge for the general’s  assassination, and last week bombed US bases in Iraq in retaliation.