Iranian energy minister Reza Ardakanian signed a two-year electricity supply deal with Iraq in early June, during a trip to Baghdad. Ardakanian told the Islamic Republic News Agency (Irna) that Tehran had received $400m from Iraq, meaning half the bill has been paid in advance. Last month secretary of state Mike Pompeo extended the United States’ sanctions waiver for Iraq to import Iranian electricity for a further 120 days. The latest deal suggests Baghdad is confident there will be further extensions in the future.
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