United States has allowed Iraq to import Iranian gas
The United
States has allowed Iraq to import Iranian gas for
its power grid for another three months by extending a waiver to sanctions.
But the US insisted that Iraq finds an alternative measure for its need
of electricity, including
by harnessing gas energy and reducing flaring at oil production sites.
Iraq has had several extensions to the waiver
first granted in 2018 after Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran’s oil
sector forbidding countries from purchasing Iranian energy. The extension was
given during a phone call between Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and U.S.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The United States continued to insist on
diversifying energy imports away from Iran.
U.S. energy giant General Electric won a
multibillion-dollar contracts to rebuild Iraq’s electricity system amid intense
U.S. lobbying efforts. US reimposed sanctions on Iran’s oil industry in
November, citing concerns about its nuclear programme and its meddling in
the Middle East.