US To Prolong Iran Energy Sanctions Waiver For Iraq - Source

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2019) Washington has assured Kabul it would prolong the sanctions waiver, allowing Iraq to purchase Iranian energy, a source, close to Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd Mahdi, told Sputnik.

On Monday, the United States announced it prolonged the waiver for Iraq for 90 days. The US sanctions against Tehran have been reintroduced in the wake of Washington's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, aimed at ensuring the peaceful nature of the middle Eastern country's nuclear program.

"There are currently no official information [on the issue] but we have the United States' assurance that Iraq will be excluded [from the sanctions]," the source said on Wednesday.

The United States decided to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018. The decision has been criticized by other signatories of the accord � China, France, Germany, Iran, the European Union, Russia and the United Kingdom.