A US dollar currency note is pictured at the counting machine inside an electronics store in Basra on September 21, 2026. Iran had announced a special exemption for Iraqi tankers in late August, while the US says it has recently managed to boost Gulf exports through a secure Hormuz corridor hugging the Omani coast. Nonetheless, the economic fallout is evident. Prices have surged and the Iraqi dinar has fluctuated. Foreign currency reserves fell by $20 billion, according to the government official. Iraq relies heavily on foreign currency from oil sales to pay civil servants, finance imports and stabilise the dinar. (Photo by HUSSEIN FALEH / AFP via Getty Images)