It’s that time again: the US has granted Baghdad yet another ‘waiver’ to exempt it from Washington’s sanctions on importing energy from neighboring Iran – a crucial lifeline ahead of summer’s peak energy demand. Shortages last summer led to mass protests that ultimately resulted in the overthrow of the government (MEES, 28 September 2018).
US officials had previously stated that the waiver issued in March (MEES, 22 March) had merely been extended by an additional three months, but Bloomberg now reports a 120-day extension. The US government had decided last month that it would grant Iraq another waiver (MEES, 24 May), but the precise details had not then been finalized. (CONTINUED - 387 WORDS)
