WANA (Mar 15) – Farhad Aladdin, Foreign Affairs Adviser to Iraq’s Prime Minister, stated in an interview with a local Iraqi television network that the U.S.-granted waiver allowing Iraq to import gas from Iran has not been revoked and remains in effect.

 

He emphasized that most of Iraq’s power plants rely on Iranian gas, which accounts for 43% of the country’s electricity production. However, the adviser noted that the United States continues to encourage Iraq to seek alternative sources for gas imports.

 

On March 27, Iran and Iraq signed a five-year extension agreement for Iranian gas exports to Iraq. Iran currently has two gas export agreements with Iraq, supplying gas to the cities of Baghdad and Basra.

 

The discussions on Iranian gas exports to Iraq date back to the second half of 2010, with the first contract for gas sales to Baghdad signed in July 2013. A separate agreement for gas exports to Basra was finalized in November 2015 in Tehran.