US government officials have expressed doubts about whether the Iraqi government will be able to sustain US-funded reconstruction projects next year because of the volatility of Iraq’s oil sector, its main source of revenue.

A report by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, this week also said it was uncertain whether there were sufficient US resources available to support projects before they could be transferred to the Iraqi government, raising questions about the fate of the $20bn (€15.6bn, £10.6bn) reconstruction programme in the next few years.