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Business / Middle East Business

Iraq announces sale of $1 bln in bonds guaranteed by U.S.

Published: 22 Jan 2017 - 02:38 pm | Last Updated: 02 Nov 2021 - 02:29 am
Peninsula

Reuters

BAGHDAD: Iraq announced the sale of $1 billion in bonds guaranteed by the United States, paying an interest of 2.1 percent, far below the price the country is paying for its non-guaranteed debt.

The U.S.-guaranteed five-year bonds were issued on Wednesday, the finance ministry said in a statement. The Iraqi government, which relies almost exclusively on oil income, has struggled to pay its bills since crude prices dropped in 2014, the same year that Islamic State militants seized a third of the country's territory.