With a “new law,” Iraq is in the crosshairs of US sanctions aimed at drying up Tehran’s funding.
With a “new law,” Iraq is in the crosshairs of US sanctions aimed at drying up Tehran’s funding.
2025-08-06 04:18
Shafaq News – Special Translation
The American website Oil Price revealed on Wednesday that Iraq has officially entered the targeted circle within the escalating US sanctions strategy against Iran, through a new bill submitted to Congress that aims to ban its imports of Iranian gas and electricity, which constitute approximately 40% of its energy needs.
The website stated in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency that “the long-term sanctions imposed directly on Iran have recently expanded to include Iraq,” referring to “the ‘No Iranian Energy’ bill that was submitted to the US Congress last April.”
The report explained that “Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. August Pfluger viewed this legislation as part of US President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime, saying, ‘The leaders of the Iranian regime are not just a threat, they represent a genocidal cult.'”
According to the report, “The proposed law would ban Iraq’s import of Iranian natural gas, which has for years been a mainstay of the domestic energy sector. Gas and electricity imports from Iran accounted for approximately 40% of Iraq’s total energy needs.”
He pointed to “an additional bill titled ‘Revoking Iranian Waivers,’ which aims to permanently freeze sanctioned Iranian assets everywhere, including inside Iraq, and prevents any current or future US president from using his authority to ease or suspend those sanctions.”
On July 3, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against a network smuggling Iranian oil under the guise of Iraqi law, confirming that the network is run by Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Saeed.
The Jerusalem Post also revealed last Sunday that the administration of US President Donald Trump has begun using customs duties imposed on Iraq as a direct pressure tool on the Baghdad government to secure the release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who has been held captive for more than 860 days after her abduction in Baghdad.
Last February, US President Donald Trump revoked the exemption granted to Iraq to import electricity and gas from Iran, as part of a new package of sanctions on Iran.
For many years, Iraq has relied on importing electricity and gas from Iran, especially during the peak summer months. This relies on ongoing US waivers, which are issued multiple times each year.
shafaq.com
