BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq, which amidst the crisis between its main allies Iran and the United States, has made an exception to continue to buy electricity from Tehran, officials in Washington and Baghdad said.
"We have given Iraq an exemption to allow it to continue to pay for the import of electricity from Iran," State Department Envoy to Iran Bryan Hawke said on Wednesday.
For his part, an Iraqi source said that "Baghdad got this exemption in exchange for commitments and a timetable."
"Iraq has to present a plan on how to get rid of Iranian gas and oil in a process that takes several years," he said.
Iraq currently buys 1,300 megawatts of electricity from Iran, as well as gas to operate its plants.
These imports are essential in a country with chronic power shortages for years, with most people receiving only a few hours of electricity a day.
After a first round of sanctions in August, Washington on Monday reintroduced new measures against Iran's oil and financial sectors.
The sanctions were lifted after the signing of the Iranian nuclear deal in 2015, which US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in May.
Since Washington announced it would reinstate these sanctions, Baghdad continued to hold talks with delegations representing the United States and Iran, which have influence in Iraq.
Iraq obtained the exemption after negotiations between Iraqi and US officials represented by the White House and the US Treasury Department, according to the source.
