ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq is yet to be granted a new waiver exempting it from complying with US energy sanctions against Iran, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi revealed Tuesday evening.
The existing 90-day waiver, which allows Iraq to continue importing Iranian energy, will soon expire.
“We received nothing [from the US],” Abdul-Mahdi told his weekly press conference.
The US, however, is “practical enough to understand” that Iraq will develop relations with its neighbors, whether Turkey, Iran, [or] the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he added.
Last November, the US granted Iraq and several other countries a 45-day waiver to allow them time to gradually reduce their reliance on Iranian electricity and energy imports.
The US reimposed sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal in May.
Iraq was given a second 90-day waiver in December, which is set to expire this month.
“We are trying to have really good relations with all our neighbors. And I think this is in the interest of peace and stability in the region, and in the world,” the prime minister said.
“Iran is a neighboring country, is a friendly country.”
Abdul-Mahdi spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by phone. They discussed “bolstering Iraq’s capabilities and its independence,” according to a readout from the prime minister’s office on Wednesday.
Washington has repeatedly urged Baghdad to end its energy dependency on Iran.
In their phone call, Abdul-Mahdi and Pompeo focused on the mission of US forces in Iraq, which is to “fight ISIS, train Iraqi forces, and not establish foreign bases, and all based on Iraqi permission,” the readout detailed.
There are growing calls in Baghdad for US forces to fully withdraw after US President Donald Trump said he wanted American troops in Iraq to watch Iran.
The Secretary of State also held a phone call on Tuesday with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) chief Masoud Barzani. They discussed recent political developments in Iraq.
On Sunday, Iran’s Minister of Energy Reza Ardkanian told state news agency Tasnim that Iran wants to play a bigger role in rebuilding Iraq’s electricity infrastructure.
On February 8, Iran and Iraq inked a deal for Iraq to buy Iranian electricity for another year. Iran exports 1,200 megawatts of electricity to Iraq.
Iraq suffers chronic power shortages. Years of mismanagement, corruption, and old distribution networks have contributed to a defective electricity grid that fueled protests last summer in major cities.
Iraq is planning to capture gas flares from its oil fields in a bid to bolster domestic energy production.
On Wednesday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani made a televised speech condemning the US sanctions, insisting his government will overcome the pressure.
“No country supported the US in imposing further sanctions on Iran,” Rouhani said. “At the Warsaw Summit, they tried to rally the world against Iran.”
“The US wants Iran to go back to 40 years ago … The US should understand Iranians will not succumb,” he added.
Sanctions targeting Iran’s oil and finance sectors have devastated the economy and send the currency tumbling.
Abdul-Mahdi’s government has tried to balance relations with the US and Iran.
Updated at 5:45 pm
The existing 90-day waiver, which allows Iraq to continue importing Iranian energy, will soon expire.
“We received nothing [from the US],” Abdul-Mahdi told his weekly press conference.
The US, however, is “practical enough to understand” that Iraq will develop relations with its neighbors, whether Turkey, Iran, [or] the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he added.
Last November, the US granted Iraq and several other countries a 45-day waiver to allow them time to gradually reduce their reliance on Iranian electricity and energy imports.
The US reimposed sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal in May.
Iraq was given a second 90-day waiver in December, which is set to expire this month.
“We are trying to have really good relations with all our neighbors. And I think this is in the interest of peace and stability in the region, and in the world,” the prime minister said.
“Iran is a neighboring country, is a friendly country.”
Abdul-Mahdi spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by phone. They discussed “bolstering Iraq’s capabilities and its independence,” according to a readout from the prime minister’s office on Wednesday.
Washington has repeatedly urged Baghdad to end its energy dependency on Iran.
In their phone call, Abdul-Mahdi and Pompeo focused on the mission of US forces in Iraq, which is to “fight ISIS, train Iraqi forces, and not establish foreign bases, and all based on Iraqi permission,” the readout detailed.
There are growing calls in Baghdad for US forces to fully withdraw after US President Donald Trump said he wanted American troops in Iraq to watch Iran.
The Secretary of State also held a phone call on Tuesday with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) chief Masoud Barzani. They discussed recent political developments in Iraq.
On Sunday, Iran’s Minister of Energy Reza Ardkanian told state news agency Tasnim that Iran wants to play a bigger role in rebuilding Iraq’s electricity infrastructure.
On February 8, Iran and Iraq inked a deal for Iraq to buy Iranian electricity for another year. Iran exports 1,200 megawatts of electricity to Iraq.
Iraq suffers chronic power shortages. Years of mismanagement, corruption, and old distribution networks have contributed to a defective electricity grid that fueled protests last summer in major cities.
Iraq is planning to capture gas flares from its oil fields in a bid to bolster domestic energy production.
On Wednesday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani made a televised speech condemning the US sanctions, insisting his government will overcome the pressure.
“No country supported the US in imposing further sanctions on Iran,” Rouhani said. “At the Warsaw Summit, they tried to rally the world against Iran.”
“The US wants Iran to go back to 40 years ago … The US should understand Iranians will not succumb,” he added.
Sanctions targeting Iran’s oil and finance sectors have devastated the economy and send the currency tumbling.
Abdul-Mahdi’s government has tried to balance relations with the US and Iran.
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