US Tells Iraq "No More Imports of Iranian Energy"

"Iran Is an Unreliable Supplier"

The United States has decided to no longer allow Iraq to import Iranian energy.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by Yonhap News

According to AFP and other sources on the 9th (local time), the U.S. Department of State announced the day before that it will no longer renew the exemption granted to Iraq regarding sanctions on the export and import of Iranian energy.

The U.S. Department of State stated, "Iran is an unreliable energy supplier," and urged "the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian energy sources as soon as possible."

On the same day, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad emphasized, "The exemption for Iraq to purchase Iranian electricity will not be renewed," adding, "This means that economic and financial relief for Iran will not be allowed."

The Donald Trump administration declared a "maximum pressure" policy imposing strong economic sanctions on Iran to prevent its nuclear weapons development. While reviewing the suspension of this sanctions exemption, it is reported that Iraq was pressured to allow crude oil produced in the northern Kurdish autonomous region to be exported through T?rkiye. This is interpreted as an attempt to block Iran from earning foreign currency through oil sales.

Earlier, in 2023, after the Iraqi central government won an international lawsuit, the Kurdish autonomous government's oil exports must receive approval from the Iraqi government. As a result, the Kurdish autonomous government's oil exports targeting T?rkiye and others have faced setbacks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.