The US blacklisted Iran's energy industry in late 2018 but granted Baghdad a series of temporary waivers, hoping Iraq would wean itself off Iranian energy by partnering with US firms. In May, Washington granted Iraq a four-month extension as a gesture of goodwill towards Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who had just formed a cabinet seen as US-friendly. But when it renewed the waiver in late September, the Trump administration gave Iraq just 60 days. This time, it went even shorter: 45 days, a top Iraqi official told AFP, expiring around a week before Trump is set to hand over the White House to President-elect Joe Biden. And two Iraqi officials have said they expect a "bucket list of sanctions" against Iranian interests in Iraq ahead of the White House handover.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 21, 2020 09:56 UTC