Iraq May Ask US For Exemption From Sanction Over Cooperation With Iran - Foreign Ministry

Iraq is preparing a request to Washington to exempt Baghdad from possible US sanctions over cooperation with Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Mahjoub told Sputnik

BAGHDAD (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2018) Iraq is preparing a request to Washington to exempt Baghdad from possible US sanctions over cooperation with Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Mahjoub told Sputnik.

"Iraq may ask Washington to completely exclude it from sanctions, as Jordan, for example, did in the early 90s, when an embargo was imposed on Iraq," Mahjoub said, adding that steps were taken in this regard.

According to the spokesman, Iraq has significant liabilities in trade and economic relations with Iran, and therefore Baghdad hopes that Washington will be show understanding in this situation. At the same time, the diplomat added that the country was generally against the idea of isolating any country.

"We believe that it is inefficient. There were attempts to isolate the past regime in Iraq, but in the end it affected not the regime of Saddam Hussein, but the Iraqi people," Mahjoub said.

In September, Yahya Eshaq, the chairman of the Iraqi-Iranian Chamber of Commerce, said that the two countries were swathing to trade in euro and respective national currencies amid the US sanctions.

In May, the United States withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reimposed sanctions against Tehran and any country doing business with Iranian companies. The first batch of economic restrictions took effect in August and more are expected to come into force in November.