After US decision, Iran moves arms in Iraq against Washington

Mohamed Shaath

US President Donald Trump has decided not to renew waivers that allow eight countries to buy Iranian oil without facing Washington’s sanctions.

The White House said in a statement issued on Monday that the US president would not reissue Significant Reduction Exceptions (SREs) when they expire in early May, a move aimed at bringing Iran’s oil exports to zero.

However, the US is currently subjected to pressure by Iran’s arms in the region, including in Iraq, as Iran has activated its loyal individuals and bodies to criticize Washington for the decision that seeks to end Tehran’s devious activities in the region.

The administration had granted eight waivers, including Iraq, when it re-imposed sanctions on Iran in November after Trump pulled the US out of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.

MP Fadel al-Fatlawi of the Fatah Alliance said Washington’s decision is concerning Iran and has nothing to do with Iraq, which means that Iraq is not obliged to implement it, pointing out that Iraq is a sovereign state that is working for its own interests, not the interests of Washington and its allies.

The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity has said in a statement that gas shipments from Iran will increase to 35 million cubic meters in June from 28 million currently.

“For us, Iraq, we don’t have any other option right now,” Musaab Mudarris, an electricity ministry spokesman, told reporters on the side-lines of an energy conference in Baghdad.

Iraq needs Iran’s refined gas. Iraq’s electricity minister said in July 2017 that Iraq would be reliant on Iranian gas to generate electricity for at least seven years. Iraq does produce natural gas of its own, but lacks the facilities to process it into fuel for local consumption. The gas Iraq receives from Iran constitutes approximately 20 percent of the electricity it produces.

Anmar al-Darubi, an Iraqi political analyst, told The Reference in an interview that Iran will naturally resort to its proxies in the region, including the Iranian Militias in Iraq and Syria (IMIS), Hezbollah and the Houthis, however, none of them can move a muscle against the US or its interests in the region.

He pointed out that Iran only knows how to flex its muscles and slogans against the United States and Israel, which is just a mere propaganda. Iran has direct and indirect contacts with both the United States and Israel.

He also added that bodies and individuals loyal to Iran in Iraq will demand the expulsion of US forces from it, not to mention organizing fake media campaigns and propaganda, because Iran will move all of its proxies in case danger reached its economic interests.