US dollar breaches 170,000 dinars across Baghdad, Erbil, and Basra markets

Packs of US dollars and Iraqi dinars. Photo: Pukmedia Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The U.S. dollar breached the psychological 170,000 Iraqi dinar (IQD) threshold across Iraq’s major parallel exchange markets on Sunday morning, November 15, 2026, extending its gradual upward climb after holding steady near 167,000 IQD per $100 throughout the previous week. According to morning trading figures across key commercial centers, physical banknote rates traded as follows: Baghdad: Currency exchange counters posted retail selling rates at 170,250 IQD against buying offers of 169,500 IQD per $100. Erbil: Currency desks quoted selling rates at 170,200 IQD alongside buying bids of 169,900 IQD per $100. Basra: Foreign exchange offices matched the capital’s retail ceiling at 170,250 IQD, with purchasing offers settling at 169,750 IQD per $100. Breaking past the 170,000-dinar mark widens the parallel-market spread to more than 18,000 dinars above the Central Bank of Iraq’s (CBI) official rate of 152,000 IQD per $100 (1,520 IQD per dollar). The sustained uptick reflects persistent physical dollar demand to cover cross-border commercial settlements and unrecorded imports operating outside formal banking and electronic wire channels.