The Trump administration has withdrawn a waiver that previously allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity.
This decision is part of President Donald Trump’s "maximum pressure" strategy which aimed to increase economic and political pressure on Iran.
As per Reuters, the US deliberately chose not to renew Iraq's waiver after it expired to prevent Iran from gaining any economic or financial benefits.
The spokesperson explained that this decision is part of Trump’s strategy to pressure Iran "to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups."
After becoming president again in January, Trump restored his "maximum pressure" strategy against Iran as one of his first actions.
During his first term, he had already withdrawn the US from the Iran nuclear deal, which was an international agreement designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
As per the outlet, the US government has said it wants to isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenues in order to slow Tehran's development of a nuclear weapon.
While, Iran claims it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons and insists that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
On the other hand, Farhad Alaaeldin, foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said, “For Iraq, the end of the waiver presents temporary operational challenges. The government is actively working on alternatives to sustain electricity supply and mitigate any potential disruptions.”
