Iraq reaches an agreement with Iran regarding gas imports
A petrochemical complex in the South Pars gas field in Asalouyeh, Iran. Photo: AP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, announced on Tuesday that Iraq reached an agreement with Iran regarding gas imports, which Iraq needs to operate power plants, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
During a speech he delivered, Al-Sudani elaborated that Iraq agreed to provide Iran with crude oil in exchange for gas.
The Iraqi Prime Minister explained that the decision will ensure the continuation of gas supplies from Iran and will end the current crisis.
Al-Sudani clarified that the supply of Iranian gas has been resumed on Tuesday and that 10 million standard cubic meters of gas will flow to Iraq, indicating that an agreement has been signed in this regard.
The Iraqi Premier, during a meeting with Iraqi officials in the energy sector earlier on Tuesday, noted that the US sanctions and non-compliance with the gas dues payment mechanism agreed upon in 2018 caused a 50 percent reduction in gas supplies from Iran, which negatively affected electricity production in Iraq.
Al-Sudani also ordered the Ministry of Oil to work with international companies to develop energy fields and highlighted the need to speed up the completion of projects generating electricity from solar energy.