The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the United States decision to terminate the exemption of sanctions that allowed Iraq to buy electricity from Iran is “illegal”. According to the AFP report, TASR reports this.
“Such statements are awarding illegality, awarding crimes against humanity, because US sanctions, unilateral US sanctions against the Iranian nation have no justification or legal basis,” said the spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Diplomacy Esmáil Bakáji.
US President Donald Trump’s administration canceled the exception on Saturday, under the “maximum pressure” policy of Trump against Tehran for the claim that Iran is trying to get nuclear weapons. Iran denies these accusations.
A spokesman for the US Department of Foreign Affairs said that the US decision “guarantees that Iran will not allow any level of economic or financial relief”. The aim of Trump’s campaign against Iran is, according to the spokesman, “to end his nuclear threat, limit his ballistic missile program and stop it in the support of terrorist groups”.
Iran supplies a third of Iraqi gas and electricity
Iran supplies a third of Iraqi gas and electricity, which provides Tehran considerable revenue, writes AFP.
The exception for Iraq was introduced in 2018, when Washington re -imposed sanctions on Tehran after Trump for the first time renewed his “maximum pressure” policy in which the US withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran.
After returning to the presidential office, Trump called for a new agreement with Iran, and Friday stated that he wrote a letter to the highest Iranian spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, in which he proposed new negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. In the letter he expressed the hope that Tehran would negotiate, otherwise the US would have to intervene militarily, which would be a “terrible thing for Iran”, Trump said.
Iran claims he didn’t get any letter. Khamenei said on Saturday after the threats of Trump said it was a “bullying”.
The latest decision of the US administration is for Iraq “temporary operational challenges,” said Iraqi prime minister advisor. The Iraqi government is working on alternatives on how to maintain electricity supply and alleviate any outages, writes Reuters.
