| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Iraq not obliged to heed US sanctions on Iran: Iraqi FM |
| 2019-01-03 |
| [Rudaw] Iraq is pursuing options to continue trade with neighbour Iran as it isn’t obliged to abide by US sanctions, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Ali al-Hakim on Wednesday. "These sanctions, the siege, or what is called the embargo, these are unilateral, not international. We are not obliged [to follow] them," Hakim told journalists at a roundtable with members of the media. Some "possibilities" have been proposed that would keep trade routes open with Iran, "including dealing in Iraqi dinars in bilateral trade," he added. Another idea floating around is to create a fund for payments to Iran that would be used to buy goods on Iran’s behalf, the minister said. Trade between Iraq and Iran, who share a nearly 1,500-kilometre long border, is at $12 billion, according to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. After meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih in November, he said he envisioned trade growing to $20 billion. Iraq imports electricity from Iran to supplement its inadequate supply. It also depends on Iranian gas to fuel domestic electricity generation. Iraq’s electricity minister last week signed an agreement with Iran’s energy minister to continue this cooperation in the energy sector. The United States has given Baghdad another 90 days before of grace before it has to abide by sanctions on Iran. The majority of Iraq’s Shiite parties have rejected the US sanctions against Iran, calling them "unjust" and "oppressive." Former prime minister Haider al-Abadi caused uproar among pro-Iran parties and Iran itself when he said Iraq is committed to the sanctions. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #4 *Yawn* Talk is cheap, just 'Do It' and then we can get on with the results of your deciding to officially become Iran's newest satrapy. |
| Posted by: magpie 2019-01-03 13:08 |
| #3 You can break the sanctions and see how you like the repercussions. Possibly the quickest way to dismember Iraq I can think of. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2019-01-03 11:51 |
| #2 if the US hadn't come to the aid of Iraq in 2014 after the fall of Mosul, a million or more Shiites would likely have been slaughtered by ISIS |
| Posted by: lord garth 2019-01-03 08:35 |
| #1 We're not obliged to stay there either. After you screwed up with ISIS, I'd say your number of 'saves' is down to zero. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2019-01-03 07:46 |