SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The United States has given Iraq a 45-day sanctions waiver to continue importing Iranian energy, intensifying pressure on both countries.
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said on Friday (November 20) that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had extended the waiver for 45 more days, according to The Washington Post.
“The secretary has renewed the sanctions waiver for Iraq to engage in financial transactions related to the import of electricity from Iran,” The Washington Post quoted the spokesman as saying.
“The waiver ensures that Iraq is able to meet its short-term energy needs while it takes steps to reduce its dependence on Iranian energy imports.”
The waiver will continue to exempt Iraq from U.S. sanctions reimposed on Iran, hobbling its oil-dependent economy, after President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from world powers’ 2015 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.
Washington has repeatedly extended the waiver for Baghdad to use crucial Iranian energy supplies for its struggling power grid, usually for periods of 90 or 120 days.
The United States has insisted that oil-rich Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, move towards self-sufficiency as a condition for its exemption for importing Iranian energy. Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to feed several power stations.
