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Iraq Halts Gas Imports from Iran

A view of the Baiji gas power station in Iraq. (Government media)
A view of the Baiji gas power station in Iraq. (Government media)
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Iraq Halts Gas Imports from Iran

A view of the Baiji gas power station in Iraq. (Government media)
A view of the Baiji gas power station in Iraq. (Government media)

The US State Department welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's commitment to respecting sanctions imposed on Iran.

Iraq will end on Saturday gas imports from Iran in line with conditions imposed by US President Donald Trump's administration.

The government will now be faced with the task of finding alternative sources of gas that is needed to fuel power plants. Experts are predicting a very difficult summer as temperatures soar and with little power to relieve the heat.

Iraq used to import 50 million cubic meters of gas from Iran per day to fuel its power plants.

"We have nothing to announce with regard to the current electricity waiver that expires on the (March) eighth...We are reviewing all existing sanctions waivers that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Thursday.

"We are urging the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible, and welcome the Iraqi Prime Minister's commitment to achieve energy independence."

The US is reviewing all existing sanctions waivers that provide Iran any degree of economic relief, and urging the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible, Bruce said.

The US is using the waiver review in part to increase pressure on Baghdad to allow Kurdish crude oil exports via Türkiye, according to two sources familiar with the matter, reported Reuters.

Iraq's negotiations with the semi-autonomous Kurdish region over the oil export resumption have been fraught so far.

The US government has said it wants to isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenues in order to slow Iran's development of a nuclear weapon.

Trump's restoration of the "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran was one of his first acts after returning to office in late January.

Alternatives

Finding alternatives for Iranian gas appears to be bleak so far. Member of the oil and gas parliamentary committee Ali Saadoun al-Lamy admitted that Iraq does not have alternatives at the moment.

Several power plants rely primarily on gas from Iran, he told the media. Cutting the supply or abandoning it suddenly will lead to a drop in electricity generation in Baghdad and other regions.

Turning to local gas will take two or more years to achieve, while importing gas and electricity from other countries besides Iran may take a month or more, he explained.

Iraq produces 27,000 megawatts of electricity. The majority of its power plants run on gas and production occasionally drops to 17,000 megawatts.

The figures are below its demand for 40,000 megawatts to meet demand.

Speculation is rife in Iraq about the new US administration's policy towards the country and the possibility that sanctions on Iran will impact it as Baghdad gears up for parliamentary elections this year.

Political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the coming months will witness a "settling of political scores" as American pressure mounts on Iran-aligned forces in the country.

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Arab World

Jordan Sentences 3 Men to Death over Karak Church Attack

Mourners carry the bodies of those who were killed in the attack that took place two days earlier at the Greek Orthodox Church during their funeral in the village of Hamoud in Jordan's Karak governorate on October 25, 2026. (Photo by Ahmad SHOURA / AFP)
Mourners carry the bodies of those who were killed in the attack that took place two days earlier at the Greek Orthodox Church during their funeral in the village of Hamoud in Jordan's Karak governorate on October 25, 2026. (Photo by Ahmad SHOURA / AFP)
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Jordan Sentences 3 Men to Death over Karak Church Attack

Mourners carry the bodies of those who were killed in the attack that took place two days earlier at the Greek Orthodox Church during their funeral in the village of Hamoud in Jordan's Karak governorate on October 25, 2026. (Photo by Ahmad SHOURA / AFP)
Mourners carry the bodies of those who were killed in the attack that took place two days earlier at the Greek Orthodox Church during their funeral in the village of Hamoud in Jordan's Karak governorate on October 25, 2026. (Photo by Ahmad SHOURA / AFP)

A Jordanian court on Sunday sentenced three men to death by hanging for carrying out last month's deadly gun attack on a church in the kingdom's south.

Gunmen killed nine people and wounded 25 others when they stormed a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate on October 23.

Authorities said three men, two Jordanian brothers and their relative by marriage, had fled after the attack and were arrested three days later.

In a statement Sunday, the Jordanian military said the "State Security Court issued its ruling sentencing to death the three criminals who carried out the terrorist attack" at the church.

The court found them guilty of "committing terrorist attacks" resulting in death, as well as weapons offences, "conspiracy to commit terrorist acts" and "promoting the ideas of a terrorist organization.”

Arab World

France Reaffirms Support for Morocco's Position on Western Sahara

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita receives French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot in Essaouira (Moroccan Foreign Ministry)
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita receives French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot in Essaouira (Moroccan Foreign Ministry)
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France Reaffirms Support for Morocco's Position on Western Sahara

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita receives French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot in Essaouira (Moroccan Foreign Ministry)
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita receives French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot in Essaouira (Moroccan Foreign Ministry)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot reaffirmed France's unwavering support for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara on Friday, declaring that the territory's "present and future fall exclusively within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty."

Speaking during talks with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, in the coastal city of Essaouira, Barrot reiterated Paris' full backing for Morocco's autonomy plan as the sole basis for a final political settlement to the regional dispute.

His remarks echoed France's longstanding position, reaffirmed at a UN Security Council meeting on Oct. 30.

Morocco's Foreign Ministry said the talks were part of efforts to put into practice the "Reinforced Exceptional Partnership" signed by King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron on Oct. 28, 2024, a framework designed to strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation across multiple sectors.

The ministers welcomed the growing momentum in relations between Rabat and Paris, praising their strong ties of friendship and cooperation as a reflection of both leaders' determination to deepen their strategic partnership and make it more effective.

They reviewed cooperation in politics, trade, culture and humanitarian affairs, exploring ways to broaden ties in line with both countries' aspirations.

Turning to regional and international affairs, Barrot and Bourita welcomed their shared positions on key issues, particularly developments in the Middle East and prospects for implementing a two-state solution.

Both countries renewed their commitment to pursuing a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, while maintaining close coordination to advance security, stability and development across the Maghreb, the Sahel and the Mediterranean.

Barrot traveled to Morocco to attend a high-level session of the 2026 World Forum of Women for Peace, organized by the association Les Guerrières de la Paix in Essaouira.

His visit also included talks with senior Moroccan officials, visits to French cultural and educational institutions in the city and a meeting with representatives of the French community.

Arab World

Damascus Moves to Reconnect Aleppo Countryside, End a Decade of Territorial Division

Preparations for the launch of the second phase of the “Echo of Resilience 2” project in Manbij (Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management)
Preparations for the launch of the second phase of the “Echo of Resilience 2” project in Manbij (Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management)
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Damascus Moves to Reconnect Aleppo Countryside, End a Decade of Territorial Division

Preparations for the launch of the second phase of the “Echo of Resilience 2” project in Manbij (Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management)
Preparations for the launch of the second phase of the “Echo of Resilience 2” project in Manbij (Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management)

A convoy of Syrian army heavy machinery headed to Manbij in northern Syria on Saturday to help tear down wartime earthen barriers and fill trenches stretching 841 kilometers across 255 cities and villages, in a drive to erase former frontlines and reunite areas divided by years of conflict.

The operation, in eastern Aleppo province, aims to consolidate state authority and reintegrate the affected areas administratively and economically.

Syria's Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, which oversees the "Echo of Resilience" project in cooperation with Aleppo governorate, said the campaign would dismantle military fortifications, clear their remnants, rehabilitate damaged areas and reopen roads between towns and villages.

The ministry said the work would improve public services and help restore normal life and stability in the affected areas.

The project's second phase began on Thursday in Manbij and its surrounding countryside and is expected to last seven months. It aims to make the area safer by clearing landmines and other remnants of war, allowing displaced residents to return home and farmers to reclaim access to their fields and resume cultivation.

The new phase follows an initial operation launched in early July around Azaz in northern Aleppo province, seven kilometers from the Turkish border.

That phase concluded on Nov. 12 after crews cleared 202 kilometers of earthen barriers and trenches, reconnecting about 33 towns and villages and easing civilian movement.

Manbij's Divided Past

The work in Manbij carries particular political and geographical weight. Before the fall of the former government, the city and its surroundings were a volatile meeting point for three rival military forces.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Manbij Military Council controlled the city and surrounding areas, while Turkish-backed Syrian National Army factions held positions to the north and west. Forces of the former government, backed by Russia and Iran, were stationed to the south.

The rival deployments left hundreds of kilometers of trenches, double-layered earthen barriers and minefields along four main fronts.

The fortifications stretched from the Sajur River toward Jarablus in the north, through the area around Arima toward al-Bab in the west, and from Abu Kahf toward Deir Hafir in the south to the vicinity of Tishrin Dam and Qara Qozak Bridge on the Euphrates River's western bank in the east.

Removing those defenses is intended to reopen vital transport and trade routes linking eastern and northern Aleppo and restore access to farmland that had been isolated or off-limits for years.

From Military Frontlines to State Control

The two phases of the "Echo of Resilience" project coincide with efforts to implement a Jan. 29, 2026, agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF.

The agreement seeks to end territorial divisions, integrate the affected areas administratively and economically, extend state control across Syria and ensure the return of forcibly displaced people and other residents once suitable conditions are in place.

Around Azaz, once a flashpoint along the frontlines facing Tal Rifaat and Afrin, the removal of earthen barriers marked a practical step toward dismantling former lines of confrontation and reconnecting Syrian territory, officials overseeing the project told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Observers of Syrian affairs say the dismantling of military fortifications by Syrian army units in a strategic area such as Manbij sends a clear political message: the state is consolidating control on the ground while reducing the military presence in residential and agricultural areas.

They say the shift could also strengthen border security and revive regional trade.