The US has repeatedly renewed a 120-day waiver to Iraq in a bid to help the country provide sufficient electricity to its people. US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told Rudaw during a press briefing on Thursday that the waiver, which expires late this month, has been renewed for the 21st time.
“I would emphasize…that these are waivers that have been regularly issued to Iraq, going back to 2018 under the previous administration. This is now the 21st time that this particular waiver has been issued,” he told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda.
Miller noted that the money Iran makes from selling electricity to Iraq is not allowed to enter Iran, adding that the funds are held in “restricted accounts and they can only be used for transactions for the purchase of food, medicine, medical devices, agricultural products and other non-sanctionable transactions.”
The waiver helps Iraq bypass existing US sanctions on Iranian exports.
“It is part of our broader goal to wean Iraq off of dependence on Iran for the provision of electricity because that's what these waivers do,” Miller elaborated.
“Iraq has been making real progress on its path towards energy sufficiency since 2020. It has cut its imports of Iranian energy by more than half over the last decade. It doubled its own electricity generation, and we will continue to work with them and support them as they try to become energy independent,” he stated.
In relation to the letter sent to US State Secretary Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, by some congressmen asking why Iraq paid Iran in euros for the electricity purchase, Miller told Rudaw that he did not know what currency was used in the transaction.
“We have held Iran accountable for its support of terrorism, and its funding of dangerous proxy groups around the region and we will continue to do so,” the spokesperson emphasized.