“In case of not receiving waivers, Iraq is to face a disaster in its service sector due to the temperature increase and its incapability in running its electricity plants in upcoming days,” he warned.
He added that unlike Persian Gulf Arab littoral states, the US believes in Iraq’ power and levers to receive waivers for continuing imports of gas and goods from Iran.
The United States granted Iraq a 90-day waiver exempting it from sanctions to buy energy from Iran, a State Department official said on March 20, the latest extension allowing Baghdad to keep purchasing electricity from its neighbor.
The last waiver for Iraq to be exempt from US energy sanctions on Iran was granted on Dec. 21.
The Trump administration reimposed sanctions on Iran’s energy exports in November, after its unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal, but has granted waivers to several buyers to meet consumer energy needs.
Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to feed several power stations, importing roughly 1.5 billion standard cubic feet per day via pipelines in the south and east.
Although Iraq has one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves, it has moved slowly to develop them and relied on Iran to supply it with gas and electricity.
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