Iraqi parliament votes to lift sanctions on Kurdistan region banks

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi parliament voted on Monday to lift sanctions imposed on banks in the Kurdistan region over an independence referendum, two main Iraqi TV channels reported.

Lawmakers in Baghdad approved that sanctions be lifted after they had "fulfilled their purpose" by enforcing federal controls on the Kurdish banking industry, said a copy of the measure published by Baghdad-based al-Sumariya TV. The government will now enact the decision.

The sanctions included restrictions on dollar and foreign currency transfers and sales to four Kurdish-owned banks by the central bank in Baghdad.