Baghdad remained silent over Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian's announcement of signing a two-year agreement to export electricity to Iraq.
Ardakanian said his country has signed a two-year deal to export electricity to Iraq, Iranian state news agency (IRNA) reported on Thursday.
“We signed a contract with Iraq for exporting electricity in 2020 and 2021,” said Ardakanian, who traveled to Iraq on Wednesday.
“With coordination of the Iranian embassy in Iraq, half of the disbursement worth $400 million was received during the trip.”
No official announcement was made in Baghdad regarding the agreement or regarding transferring money to Iran at a time Iraq is undergoing a severe financial crisis.
Iranian Energy Minister and an accompanying delegation recently arrived in Baghdad to meet with senior Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in May that Washington will grant a 120-day sanctions waiver for Iraq to continue importing electricity from Iran to help the new Iraqi government succeed.
Iran provides Iraq with around 1,200 megawatts of electricity per day.
According to the Ministry of Electricity, Iraq's production of electrical energy is 13,500 megawatts, however, by introducing new generating units into service the ministry plans to add 3,500 megawatts this year.