US TO SANCTION IRAQI OFFICIAL OVER IRANIAN OIL SALES The U.S. Treasury plans to sanction Iraq’s deputy oil minister, Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, accusing him of helping facilitate Iranian oil sales in violation of sanctions. Officials allege he authorized large-scale diversion of Iraqi crude and helped disguise it as Iraqi oil by blending it with Iranian supply, enabling smuggling through regional networks. The move marks a rare sanction against a sitting senior Iraqi official and signals increased U.S. pressure on Baghdad over its economic ties to Tehran.(*Walter Bloomberg)