US extends sanctions waiver to allow Iraq to buy electricity from Iran

The US said Thursday that it renewed a 120-day sanction waiver that allows Iraq to buy electricity from Iran.

It said that "no money is permitted to enter Iran under the terms of this waiver."

"These are waivers that have been regularly issued to Iraq, going back to 2018, under a previous administration, this is now the 21st time that this particular waiver has been issued," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

"It's important to realize how this money has been used. Number one, that no money is permitted to enter Iran under the terms of this waiver," he said.

Stressing that all the funds are held in restricted counts, Miller said they can only be "used for transactions for the purchase of food medicine, medical devices, agricultural products and other non-sanctionable transactions."

He said the waiver is for Iraq to continue to get electricity from Iran and that Iraq has been making real progress on its path toward energy sufficiency.

The US has imposed sanctions on Iran due to its nuclear program and backing of some militant groups in the region. The sanctions also prohibit countries that engage in business with Iran from conducting business with Washington.