Al-Sudani asks the Trump administration to continue granting Iraq an exemption from importing Iranian gas
Al-Sudani asks the Trump administration to continue granting Iraq an exemption from importing Iranian gas
2025-02-07
Shafaq News/ Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called on Friday on the administration of US President Donald Trump to continue exempting Iraq from importing Iranian gas after the decision to cancel it.
US President Donald Trump recently cancelled the exemption granted to Iraq to import electricity and gas from Iran, as part of the new package of sanctions on Iran.
Al-Sudani said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, “The previous (US) administration gave us an exemption from these sanctions,” adding that “our government did not just request an exemption, but we also took the initiative to invest in the associated gas.”
He added, “Iraq has a clear vision. In 2028, gas imports will end, and there will be clear energy independence,” stressing that “in the end, we need this exception to continue throughout this period.”
Al-Sudani also pointed out that Iraq has begun “the process of linking energy with neighboring countries in order to cover our needs, and this is part of the concept of integration that we seek with our brothers.”
He continued by saying, “The connection with Jordan has been implemented and currently western Iraq is being supplied with energy. It is hoped that during this year the connection with Kuwait and the Gulf group will be completed. We have also started contracting for the connection between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The connection with Turkey has also been implemented and we have started receiving energy and as a result from the European Union.”
The Prime Minister continued, “The Iraqi government has found solutions, and we certainly expect our friends in the United States to understand the government’s plans so that they will allow us to continue to use Iranian gas until our projects are completed, in which any imported gas will be dispensed with.”
For many years, Iraq has relied on importing electricity and gas from Iran, especially during the peak of summer, and thus relies on the ongoing American exemptions, which are issued more than once each year.
Recently, Iraq has moved to import gas from Turkmenistan, and it will also pass through Iranian pipelines, but it has not yet been implemented due to logistical and financial problems.
shafaq.com
