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Iraq Releases 2.5 Bln Euros in Debt to Iran Following US Sanctions Waiver

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Riyadh Conference on Thursday (Reuters)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Riyadh Conference on Thursday (Reuters)
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Iraq Releases 2.5 Bln Euros in Debt to Iran Following US Sanctions Waiver

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Riyadh Conference on Thursday (Reuters)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Riyadh Conference on Thursday (Reuters)

Iraq on Saturday agreed to pay about $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran after receiving a sanctions waiver from the United States.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein was given the clearance during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Riyadh Conference on Thursday, a senior Iraqi foreign ministry official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, told Reuters.

Due to decades of conflict and sanctions, Iraq is dependent on imports from Iran for a lot of its gas needs.

However, US sanctions on Iranian oil and gas have hampered Iraq’s payments for imports, putting it in heavy arrears and leading Iran to retaliate by cutting gas flows regularly.

Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Al-Sahhaf said in a brief statement that Hussein had made progress “regarding financial dues between Iraq and Iran during his discussion with his American counterpart in Riyadh” when asked about the funds.

He did not give further details.

According to the Ministry’s Twitter post, Hussein “conducted continuous dialogues with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi for the same purpose.”

Meanwhile, Iraq’s news agency, INA, quoted the media advisor to the Prime

Minister, Diaa al-Nasseri, as saying that Iraq had released a total of 1.5 billion euros of Iranian funds and is preparing to release an additional 1 billion euros.

Later, Yahya Al-e Eshaq, head of the Iran-Iraq chamber of commerce, was quoted by Iranian news agencies as saying that “Part of Iran’s blocked funds in Iraq has been earmarked for haj pilgrims and portions have been used for basic goods.”

He added that it will definitely have a positive impact on the markets because the demands of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) will be met and basic goods needed in the country have been purchased using the assets.

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Taqaddum Coordinating Body Supports Sudan Fact-Finding Commission Report

A Sudanese army force patrols a street in Khartoum (AFP file photo)
A Sudanese army force patrols a street in Khartoum (AFP file photo)
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Taqaddum Coordinating Body Supports Sudan Fact-Finding Commission Report

A Sudanese army force patrols a street in Khartoum (AFP file photo)
A Sudanese army force patrols a street in Khartoum (AFP file photo)

The Coordinating Body of Democratic Civil Forces (Taqaddum) reaffirmed its full support on Sunday for the recommendations issued by the independent international fact-finding mission on Sudan. These recommendations include the urgent deployment of international forces to protect civilians in the country.

Taqaddum, the largest political coalition in Sudan, welcomed the report’s documentation of grave violations committed by both sides of the conflict—the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with their allied forces.

“We fully support all measures aimed at ending the war, protecting civilians, delivering humanitarian aid, ensuring justice, and providing redress to victims...” the coalition said in a statement.

The statement called for immediate steps to halt crimes. It urged the UN Human Rights Council to extend the mandate of the fact-finding mission and stressed the importance of increasing collaboration with Sudan’s democratic civil forces to document violations and recommend solutions to alleviate civilian suffering.

Taqaddum further asserted that civilian protection can only be achieved through an immediate cessation of hostilities and a mutually agreed-upon monitoring mechanism between the warring parties.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based in Port Sudan, issued a statement late Saturday rejecting the fact-finding mission’s recommendations.

The ministry accused the mission of engaging in propaganda ahead of the Human Rights Council’s deliberations, with the aim of influencing member states to extend the mission’s mandate for political purposes.

In its first report last Friday, the international fact-finding mission announced that both parties to the conflict had committed horrific human rights violations and international crimes that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The report stated that Sudanese Armed Forces, RSF, and their allied forces were responsible for widespread abuses, including indiscriminate airstrikes, shelling of civilian areas, and attacks on schools, hospitals, communication infrastructure, and water and electricity supplies.

Additionally, the report noted that warring factions used sexual violence, including rape, and engaged in arbitrary detention, torture, and mistreatment, which could amount to war crimes.

International human rights experts expect the deployment of forces to protect civilians to be discussed during the Human Rights Council’s upcoming session on Tuesday. The matter could also be referred to the UN General Assembly or the UN Security Council.

A senior UN official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Sudanese government delegation would likely oppose extending the mission’s mandate. However, the official did not anticipate objections from Russia or China regarding the report’s findings on international investigations into crimes committed by both sides of the conflict.

The official further predicted broad consensus among council members to renew the mission’s mandate.

According to the mission, the report is based on investigations and field visits to Chad, Kenya, and Uganda, as well as testimony from more than 182 survivors, family members, and eyewitnesses. It also involved extensive consultations with experts and civil society organizations.

The conflict in Sudan has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties and the displacement of nearly eight million people within the country, while over two million have sought refuge in neighboring countries.

The fact-finding committee was established by a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October last year to investigate alleged human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law.