US extends waiver for Iraq electricity imports from Iran

The United States has extended a sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to imports electricity from Iran, marking the 23rd renewal since 2018.

Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, confirmed the extension during a briefing on Tuesday. “On November 7th, the department did renew Iraq’s electricity waiver for the 23rd time since 2018,” Patel said in response to a journalist’s inquiry about the status of the waiver.

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He further explained, “As you know, this started in the previous administration – the State Department has permitted Iraq to purchase Iranian electricity while Iraq continues to develop its own domestic generation capacity.”

The waivers have been repeatedly granted to help Iraq address its electricity shortages while it works on expanding its energy infrastructure, despite broader US sanctions on Iran.