US to Send Iraq $3 Billion in Cash Installments Ahead of Epic Fury Window

💵 BAGHDAD — Washington is paying Iraq in installments, not asking permission. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Six tranches, not a lump sum — that structures dependency. Baghdad cooperates to receive the next installment. With 24 US bases struck and Kuwait demanding answers, Iraq's basing relationship is under domestic pressure. Cash reframes it as transactional rather than voluntary. Tehran will read this as Washington buying access it can no longer assume is free.