By Daphne Psaledakis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. is reviewing all existing sanctions waivers that provide Iran any degree of economic relief, and urging the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible, the U.S.
State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce made the comments at her first briefing under President Donald Trump’s administration when she was asked whether a sanctions waiver that allows Iraq to pay Iran for electricity would be renewed or not.
“We have nothing to announce with regard to the current electricity waiver that expires on the (March) eighth…We are reviewing all existing sanctions waivers that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief,” she said.
“We are urging the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible, and welcome the Iraqi Prime Minister’s commitment to achieve energy independence.”
The U.S.
is using the waiver review in part to increase pressure on Baghdad to allow Kurdish crude oil exports via Turkey, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Washington wants the increased Iraqi oil to boost supply to the global market and keep prices in check, giving the U.S.
more room to pursue efforts to choke off Iranian oil exports as part of a strategy to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
Iraq’s negotiations with the semi-autonomous Kurdish region over the oil export resumption have been fraught so far.
The U.S.
government has said it wants to isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenues in order to slow Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon.
Trump’s restoration of the “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran was one of his first acts after returning to office in late January.
The U.S.
has imposed a range of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program and support for militant organizations, effectively banning countries that do business with Iran from doing business with the U.S.
Iran views its neighbor and ally Iraq, a key partner to both the U.S.
and Iran, as vital for keeping its economy afloat amidst sanctions.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in Washington and Maha El Dahan in Dubai; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)
