Prime Minister’s Advisor: No US Sanctions on Rafidain, Exemption for Gas Imports from Iran Continues
Prime Minister’s Advisor: No US Sanctions on Rafidain, Exemption for Gas Imports from Iran Continues
025-03-12
The Prime Minister’s advisor for foreign relations, Farhad Alaa Al-Din, denied the existence of US sanctions on Rafidain Bank. While indicating that the US exemption on importing gas from Iran remains in place, he confirmed that some factions have offered to join the Popular Mobilization Forces, subject to conditions. Alaa Al-Din said in a televised interview followed by the official news agency, “Iraq is a country well-versed in managing foreign affairs and has a legacy in this regard.” He pointed out that “the philosophy of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani regarding foreign relations is to put Iraqi interests first, and from this, the country’s foreign policy is adopted.”
He added, “The path of the state and government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is based on the principle of putting Iraq’s interests first.”
Regarding Iraq’s relationship with the United States, Alaa Al-Din noted, “We had excellent and distinguished relations with the previous US administration,” noting that “the new US administration came with a set of promises to American voters, some of which were related to US foreign policy, including ending the so-called endless wars.”
He explained that “the American letter we received does not contain the information circulating in the media,” noting that “US Representative Joe Wilson tweeted more than 200 tweets in 15 months and did not mention Iraq even once.”
He explained that “Joe Wilson attended a meeting with Al-Sudani and had not spoken about Iraq before January 13, but after that date, he began tweeting about Iraq daily,” stressing that “the US authorities denied any connection to what Joe Wilson was saying about Iraq.”
He pointed out that “the US Treasury Department denied any intention to sanction Rafidain Bank, and that American companies are working to restructure Rafidain Bank and there is no intention to sanction it,” noting that “the Prime Minister is busy and does not care about Joe Wilson’s tweets.”
He stressed that “Iraq has not been a priority for America since 2011,” stating, “We are working to change the American view that Iraq is not part of the Iranian file.”
Regarding the issue of armed factions, Alaa al-Din noted that “the issue of the factions is an internal matter, not an external one,” emphasizing that “the dissolution of the factions is within the framework of the highest authority, Grand Ayatollah Sistani, and the government’s program.”
He continued, “Some factions have offered to join the Popular Mobilization Forces under certain conditions,” warning against restricting the use of force to the factions, as this would lead to civil war.
He stressed that “discussions about the fate of the factions take place every day.”
Regarding the US waiver on energy imports from Iran, he noted that “the waiver targeted electricity imports, but the gas waiver remains in place,” noting that “Türkiye began importing gas from Turkmenistan via Iran after the implementation of US sanctions.”
Regarding events in Syria, Alaa Al-Din said, “The events on the Syrian coast are not encouraging for Iraq to open up to the head of the Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa,” stressing that “ISIS has obtained supplies and seized weapons in Syria, and Iraq is concerned about them.”
He continued, “We have security cooperation channels with Syria.”
Regarding Iraq’s relationship with China, he explained that “25% of Iraqi oil is purchased by China, and we have a significant stake in that country,” noting that “Iraq’s relationship with China and Russia is commercial, not political.”
Regarding Iraq’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, he noted that “our relations with Saudi Arabia are at their best and there is no concern from Saudi Arabia about the development of Iraq’s relationship with Qatar.” He also affirmed that “Iraq is returning to the Arab fold today more than ever before,” noting that “Iraq has transformed from an arena of conflict to an arena for the convergence of nations.”
He pointed out that “the path of development has transformed Iraq into a region where the interests of the countries of the region converge,” stressing that “Iraq has played a calming role between Iran and America, particularly in Syria.”
Regarding the presence of the international coalition in Iraq, he noted that “nothing has changed with the agreement to end the international coalition in Iraq, and we are awaiting the US administration’s opinion on its presence.” He explained that “the end of the international coalition will allow Iraq to determine the type of foreign forces it needs.”
burathanews.com
