America Did Not Steal Any Gold From Iraq
What you were not told about those infamous photos of US Military
Coalition troops stopped multiple trucks at checkpoints (e.g., near Kirkuk and Syrian border) carrying hundreds to thousands of gold bars (e.g., 999 bars in one Kirkuk seizure worth ~$80–100 million; others up to 2,000 bars).
These were regime-linked smuggling attempts, often crudely made bars hidden under tarps. Soldiers seized them during routine searches, detained drivers, and turned everything over to authorities (e.g., flown to Kuwait for analysis, then to Baghdad’s Central Treasury or Ministry facilities).
US forces retrieved ~$250 million in cash from the undamaged Central Bank basement in Baghdad. This was separate from earlier regime looting.
On March 18, 2003 (hours before bombing started), Qusay Hussein withdrew ~$1 billion in cash ($900M USD + $100M euros) from the Central Bank using a Saddam-signed letter. Loaded onto trucks. US recovered most (~$950 million in hidden palace boxes), with some still missing and believed used for insurgency funding.
Contemporary reports (e.g., Al Jazeera, Iraqi bank officials quoted in NYT) described these as regime thefts/smuggling. No major Iraqi government statements accused the US of outright theft of recovered gold focus was on Saddam’s family looting the nation first.
The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) used seized regime assets (including cash/gold) for Iraqi salaries, operations, and reconstruction under oversight.
Source(s):
https://x.com/Prolotario1/status/2031066827649069397
