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WASHINGTON DC - The United States said on Thursday that it is reviewing all current sanctions exemptions that offer Iran any form of economic or financial relief. A waiver allowing Iraq to buy Iranian electricity expires in two days.
“The Iraq sanctions waiver, as you've noted, for Iran gas imports, expires on the eighth and we have, at this point, as you might imagine, we have nothing to announce with regards to the current electricity waiver that expires on the eighth, in line with National Security Presidential Memorandum number two, we are reviewing all existing sanctions waivers that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief,” Tammy Bruce, Department of State spokesperson, told Rudaw during a press briefing.
The US government in summer extended its sanctions waiver for Iraq to purchase electricity from Iran for another 120 days. It expires on Saturday and it is not clear if Washington will renew it.
Washington has repeatedly renewed a four-month waiver to Baghdad in a bid to help the country provide sufficient electricity to its people.
Bruce urged the Iraqi government to “eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible,” welcoming Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s “commitment to achieve energy independence.”
Iraq is heavily dependent on gas imports from neighboring Iran to prop up its production of electricity. The waivers help Iraq bypass existing US sanctions on Iranian exports and are intended to act only as a short-term stopgap until Iraq is able to wean itself off of Iran for its energy needs.
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