U.S. Grants Waiver to Iraq to Buy Iranian Energy

Date: 24 May 2019 - 22:01

News ID: ۶۶۳۳۹

Baghdad (Dispatches) - The U.S. envoy to Baghdad says Washington has exempted Baghdad from some of its unilateral anti-Iran sanctions, allowing Iraq to continue importing energy from Iran.
U.S. charge d’affaires Joey Hood has told reporters Baghdad can now buy energy from Iran, a report by Al-Alam news network said.
The waiver will allow Iraq to continue buying gas and electricity from Iran.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump said in March it was extending a 90-day waiver for the second time to let Iraq continue energy imports from Iran.
The U.S. envoy did not explain whether he was referring to the same waiver Washington gave Baghdad in March or he was declaring the issuance of new exemptions.
Gas imports from Iran generate as much as 45 percent of Iraq's 14,000 megawatts of electricity consumed daily. Iran transmits another 1,000 megawatts directly, making itself an indispensable energy source for its Arab neighbor.
Iraq and Iran share a 1,400-kilometer-long border. For their run-of-the-mill maintenance, Iraqis depend on Iranian companies for many things from food to machinery, electricity, natural gas, fruits and vegetables.
The Trump administration is pressing Iraq to stop buying natural gas and electricity from Iran, but Baghdad is pushing back against the pressure, The New York Times reported in February.