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U.S. extends waiver for Iraq to import Iranian electricity for 120 days

18 October 2019 05:46 (UTC +04:00)

The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it has extended by 120 days a waiver to sanctions allowing Iraq to import gas and electricity from Iran as it pushes Baghdad to make the country more energy independent, APA reports quoting Reuters.

“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 State Department said in an emailed statement. “We engage regularly with the Iraqi government to support measures that improve Iraq’s energy independence.”

The Trump administration granted the first waiver last year after it re-imposed sanctions on Tehran’s forbidding countries from purchasing Iranian energy.