Shafaq News / In spite of a worsening electrical supply in the distribution sector, the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity reasserted on Sunday that it has successfully settled all outstanding debts incurred from the importation of Iranian gas to fuel generating stations.
Ahmed Moussa, the official spokesperson for the ministry, emphasized that the responsibility of transferring funds to the Iranian side for gas imports does not lie with the ministry itself. Instead, the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) handles the payment of debts and remittances to the Iranian side.
Moussa stated, "The ministry has fully paid the TBI for the value of the gas supplied from Iran to Iraq."
Subsequently, Kamel al-Uqaili, a member of the parliamentary electricity committee, disclosed to the Shafaq News Agency that a delegation from the committee had visited the Ministry of Electricity and held discussions with its officials to ascertain the reasons behind the decline in electricity supply hours and the decrease in gas supplied from Iran to Iraq.
Al-Uqaili asserted, "The primary issue of the electricity crisis lies with the bank and the party responsible for depositing the money and signing the contract with the bank." He further added, "The ministry transfers the allocated funds for payment to the Iranian side to the TBI."
"The funds deposited by the Ministry of Electricity in the bank amount to over three billion dollars in debts for gas supplied over the past three years, and Iran has reduced the gas supply due to non-payment of previous debts."
Al-Uqaili highlighted, "The bank is obligated to adhere to the embargo instructions imposed on Iran, which restricts any non-trade activities with the country. Consequently, it is unable to transfer or deliver the gas funds to Tehran."
This situation arises at a time when Iraq has been grappling with a significant decline in electricity supply for several days, attributable to the reduction in the supply of Iranian gas that powers the nation's plants.
Taking into account the challenging weather conditions and high temperatures, the Coordination Framework has attributed the decline in electricity supply to the responsibility of the U.S. administration, stating that it burdens the Iraqi citizens and creates a crisis due to the near absence of electricity.
After conducting thorough follow-up, investigations, and clarifications regarding the causes of the crisis, the coordination framework urges the Iraqi government, specifically through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to engage with the U.S. side and promptly secure the release of the financial dues for Iranian gas. They emphasize the importance of avoiding political manipulation of this matter to prevent any negative repercussions on the Iraqi citizens.
On the contrary, the Iranian side previously declared that it had received all the debts owed by the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity.
Furthermore, Yahya al-Ishaq, the head of the Iranian-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce, disclosed on July 3 that Iraq had paid the Iranian dues, amounting to $10 billion. According to al-Ishaq, these funds were deposited in the TBI with an agreement to utilize them for the purchase of goods not covered by the embargo imposed on Iran.
In a separate development, Iran is currently facing a shortage in domestic gas production, as indicated by statements made by Iranian officials.
Additionally, on Saturday, a government source in Diyala governorate informed the Shafaq News Agency that "the Iranian side halted the electricity supply from the two power lines passing through Diyala-Khanaqin-Sarbil Zahab (1+2) 132 K.V and Diyala-Mirsad 400 K.V, resulting in prolonged power outages ranging from 8 to 10 hours per day."
"The halt in the Diyala electrical supply line by the Iranian side is due to a lack of surplus power, leading to extended power interruptions."
