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Iraq Turns to Gulf for Alternative to Gas from Iran

Vehicles drive during heavy rainfall in Baghdad, Iraq, March 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Vehicles drive during heavy rainfall in Baghdad, Iraq, March 8, 2025. (Reuters)
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Iraq Turns to Gulf for Alternative to Gas from Iran

Vehicles drive during heavy rainfall in Baghdad, Iraq, March 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Vehicles drive during heavy rainfall in Baghdad, Iraq, March 8, 2025. (Reuters)

Baghdad said on Saturday it had not officially received the United States’ decision to rescind a waiver that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity.

The Trump administration rescinded the waiver on Saturday as part of President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran, a State Department spokesperson said.

The decision to let Iraq's waiver lapse upon its expiration "ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief," the spokesperson said, adding that Trump's campaign on Iran aims "to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups."

For Iraq, the end of the waiver "presents temporary operational challenges," said Farhad Alaaeldin, foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

"The government is actively working on alternatives to sustain electricity supply and mitigate any potential disruptions," Alaaeldin told Reuters. "Strengthening energy security remains a national priority, and efforts to enhance domestic production, improve grid efficiency and invest in new technologies will continue at full pace."

Trump initially granted waivers to several buyers to meet consumer energy needs when he reimposed sanctions on Iran's energy exports in 2018, citing its nuclear program and what the US calls its meddling in the Middle East.

His administration and that of Joe Biden repeatedly renewed Iraq's waiver while urging Baghdad to reduce its dependence on Iranian electricity. The State Department spokesperson reiterated that call on Saturday.

"We urge the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible," the spokesperson said. "Iran is an unreliable energy supplier."

The Iraqi government acknowledged that ending the import of gas from Iran without ready alternatives will lead to the collapse of the electricity grid during the hot summer season.

An Iraqi government spokesman said in a statement that "dialogue between Baghdad and Washington will continue as both sides realize the importance of Iraq as a main factor of stability in the region."

Iraq has been fully committed to the waiver and it had set a long-term strategy to achieve independence in the energy sector, he went on to say, while highlighting financial reform enacted by Baghdad and efforts to bolster transparency according to international standards.

The government is looking at the worst-case scenario in various fields, including energy, and has started to hold intense meetings to overcome any electrify crisis, he added.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee said Iraq will seek alternatives, including turning to the Gulf, to secure fuel for its power plants.

Another parliamentary committee has warned that the energy sector will collapse during the summer when temperatures soar.

Spokesman for the Oil and Gas Committee Ali Shaddad said on Sunday that the government will turn to the Gulf for gas.

The problem is that the electricity ministry had built power plants in Iraqi provinces that only operate on gas. The stations located in Basra operate on gas and oil, which has helped keep energy generation in the province stable, he revealed.

The prime minister himself is following up on the completion of a gas pipeline from Basra. The energy ministry has been working on the project for 30 days already and it will be completed within 120, he added.

Iraq produces 27,000 megawatts of electricity through plants that mostly operate on gas. Production occasionally drops to 17,000 megawatts. The total production does not meet the country’s daily needs, which is 40,000 megawatts.

Dr. Ihssan Shmary, professor of strategic and international studies at Baghdad University, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US decision to rescind the waiver is a precursor to gradually start imposing sanctions on Iraq.

He said the sanctions will cover entities, institutions and even some figures.

The US decision effectively confirms that the administration does not distinguish between Iran and Iraq and it sees the former as a card to impose its maximum pressure policy on the latter, he stressed.

The decision has greater political rather than technical implications, especially since the next decisions may alter the balances of power in Iraq, he explained.

On the alternative to gas from Iran, he said efforts should be exerted to boost the electricity connection with Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom can also help develop Iraq’s energy sector and connect it to the Gulf, he said.

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Arab World

Palestinians Vote in First Elections Since Gaza War

Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)
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Palestinians Vote in First Elections Since Gaza War

Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)

Palestinians in the West Bank and a central area of Gaza began voting Saturday in municipal elections in the first vote since the Gaza war, marked by a narrow political field and widespread disillusionment.

Nearly 1.5 million people are registered to vote in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as well as 70,000 people in Gaza's Deir al-Balah area, according to the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission.

Polling stations opened at 7 am (0400 GMT).

AFP footage from Al-Bireh in the West Bank and Deir al-Balah in Gaza showed election officials in polling stations as Palestinians came to cast ballots.

Most electoral lists are aligned with President Mahmoud Abbas's secular-nationalist Fatah party or feature candidates running as independents.

There are no lists affiliated with Fatah's archrival Hamas, which controls nearly half of the Gaza Strip.

In most cities, Fatah-backed tickets will run against independent lists headed by candidates from factions such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Marxist-Leninist).

"We must see change every four years through elections... We can't change the situation but we hope to replace people... people who might be better and help develop the community," said Khalid Eid, 55, after he voted in Al-Bireah.

Municipal councils are responsible for basic services such as water, sanitation and local infrastructure and do not enact legislation.

The Palestinian Authority faces widespread criticism over corruption, stagnation and declining legitimacy.

Western and regional donors have increasingly tied financial and diplomatic support to visible reforms, particularly at the local governance level, as national elections remain frozen.

A Palestinian woman casts her ballot in a polling station during municipal elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on April 25, 2026. (AFP)

With no presidential or legislative elections held since 2006, municipal councils have become one of the few functioning democratic institutions under PA administration.

UN coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov commended the election commission for organizing a "credible process".

"Saturday's elections represent an important opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights during an exceptionally challenging period," Alakbarov said in a statement ahead of the polls.

Mahmoud Bader, a businessman from the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, where two adjacent refugee camps have been under Israeli military control for over a year, said he would vote despite having little hope for meaningful change.

"Whether candidates are independent or partisan, it has no effect and will have no effect or benefit for the city," he told AFP on Friday.

"The (Israeli) occupation is the one that rules Tulkarem. It would only be an image shown to the international media -- as if we have elections, a state or independence."

Polling stations in the West Bank will close at 7 pm, while polls in Deir al-Balah will close at 5 pm to facilitate counting in daylight due to the lack of electricity in the war-devastated strip, the elections commission told AFP.

Two years of war that started in October 2023 have left swathes of Gaza destroyed and more than 72,000 people dead, according to the territory's health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

Public infrastructure, sanitation services and the health sector are struggling to function.

A Palestinian man shows his marked finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Al-Bireh on April 25, 2026. (AFP)

- 'Strong determination' -

Gaza, which has been under Hamas control since 2007, is holding its first vote since legislative elections of 2006 that the Islamist movement won.

The Palestinian Authority is holding elections only in Deir al-Balah "as an experiment (to test its own) success or failure, since there are no post-war opinion polls", Jamal al-Fadi, a political scientist at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, told AFP.

Deir al-Balah was chosen as it was one of the only places in Gaza where "the population has remained largely in place and not been displaced" by more than two years of war between Hamas and Israel, Fadi said.

The election commission has recruited polling staff from civil society organizations and hired "a private security company to secure polling centers" for the Gaza vote, its spokesman Fareed Taamallah told AFP.

Mohammed al-Hasayna, 24, said after voting in Deir al-Balah that although the elections were largely symbolic, they served as a sign of people's "will to live".

"We are an educated people with strong determination, and we deserve to have our own state," he told AFP.

"We want the world to help us overcome the catastrophe of war. Enough wars -- it is time to work towards rebuilding Gaza."

Arab World

Houthis Rename Schools in Yemen’s Sanaa After their Fallen Fighters

A Yemeni child visits a cemetery for Houthi fallen fighters in Sana'a (EPA)
A Yemeni child visits a cemetery for Houthi fallen fighters in Sana'a (EPA)
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Houthis Rename Schools in Yemen’s Sanaa After their Fallen Fighters

A Yemeni child visits a cemetery for Houthi fallen fighters in Sana'a (EPA)
A Yemeni child visits a cemetery for Houthi fallen fighters in Sana'a (EPA)

Yemen’s Houthi-run capital, Sanaa, is witnessing a new wave of changes in the education sector, as the group renames a number of public and private schools in what education sources say is part of a broader effort to reshape public awareness along ideological lines with a sectarian dimension.

The measures go beyond renaming schools and extend to reshaping the learning environment, including cultural activities and educational content, the sources said, describing a push to entrench a single ideological narrative within schools.

They warned that the moves are fueling growing concern about the future of education in areas under Houthi control.

The changes have affected schools long known by their historical names, replacing them with names of figures linked to the group or fighters killed in its ranks.

Among the most prominent examples, the “Azal al-Wadi” school in al-Wahda district has been renamed after a Houthi fighter known as “Abu Zaabal,” while the “Moussa bin Nusseir” school in the Maeen district has been renamed “Hani Toumar.”

The move has sparked widespread discontent among educators and students. Teachers and parents described it as an attempt to erase educational and national identity, noting that school names form part of cultural memory.

They said the changes reflect a drive to impose Houthi symbols carrying sectarian connotations.

Education sector workers said the renaming decisions were accompanied by changes to school and cultural activities, reinforcing an ideological narrative within schools.

Specialists said the shifts could narrow intellectual diversity and turn educational institutions into tools for promoting specific ideological agendas.

Students in the affected schools also voiced frustration, saying education should remain free from political or sectarian influence.

Some parents expressed concern, with some considering transferring their children to other schools, despite limited alternatives.

The developments come as Yemen faces a deepening education crisis, with deteriorating infrastructure, unpaid teacher salaries, and severe resource shortages.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said about 3.2 million children in Yemen are out of school, highlighting the scale of the challenges facing the education system.

UNICEF said it plans in 2026 to return more than 172,000 children to classrooms, distribute educational supplies to over 316,000 students, and support around 1,200 teachers through training and professional development programs.

However, these efforts face a complex reality shaped by ongoing conflict and economic and social pressures.

Observers warned that continued interference in education, whether through school renaming or curricular changes, could deepen social divisions and undermine prospects for recovery, stressing that keeping education neutral is essential to safeguarding future generations.

Arab World

UN Project Supports Thousands of Coffee Farmers in Yemen's Taiz

A Yemeni man in Taiz prepares coffee from the beans harvested on his farm. (United Nations)
A Yemeni man in Taiz prepares coffee from the beans harvested on his farm. (United Nations)
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UN Project Supports Thousands of Coffee Farmers in Yemen's Taiz

A Yemeni man in Taiz prepares coffee from the beans harvested on his farm. (United Nations)
A Yemeni man in Taiz prepares coffee from the beans harvested on his farm. (United Nations)

A UN-backed food security project in Yemen has become a model for creating jobs, helping farmers confront food insecurity, and developing coffee farming as a heritage and strategic crop.

The project, implemented by the United Nations Development Program in the Taiz governorate, southwest Yemen, and funded by the World Bank, has created direct job opportunities for more than 43,000 people, including 4,000 women.

It has also provided 200,000 cubic meters of water in newly built reservoirs and improved 8,351 hectares of land.

The Food Security Response and Resilience Project has enabled 17,000 farmers to regain the ability to use their land efficiently. It has also supported farmers in coffee-producing areas, especially in Taiz, by building water infrastructure that reduces the impact of declining rainfall.

According to a UNDP report, the project focuses on building rainwater-harvesting reservoirs that can be used during droughts to ensure continued irrigation. In the Sabir Al-Mawadim district, two reservoirs were built, each with a capacity of 400 cubic meters.

Project data showed that farmers who gained access to these resources recorded a notable improvement in production during the latest season compared with those who continued to rely on irregular rainfall.

The project is based on an estimated funding of $64 million and covers 47 districts across several Yemeni governorates, particularly areas among the most agriculturally fragile. Its work is scheduled to continue until next December.

The UNDP is focusing on developing agricultural infrastructure and strengthening rural communities’ ability to cope with climate change, in cooperation with the Social Fund for Development and the Public Works Project.

Yemeni agricultural engineer Saeed al-Sharjabi told Asharq Al-Awsat that coffee farming in Yemen needs a package of infrastructure measures, including linking production areas to a network of main, secondary, and agricultural roads to reduce transport costs.

A Yemeni woman displays a sample of coffee beans harvested from her farm. (United Nations)

He said such roads could also support eco-tourism or agritourism.

Sharjabi called for building dams, barriers and water reservoirs, connecting them to suitable irrigation networks that help rationalize water consumption, establishing nurseries to produce coffee seedlings, setting technical standards for them, and encouraging investment in coffee-related fields such as production, marketing and the manufacture of environmentally friendly production supplies.

Project activities included rehabilitating more than 201 kilometers of agricultural roads, helping farmers reach their land and markets more easily. They also included building and improving water reservoirs with a total capacity of more than 200,000 cubic meters to reduce reliance on seasonal rainfall and support more stable irrigation.

According to UNDP data, the project provided more than 1.3 million workdays, including about 130,000 for women, while more than 22,000 farmers improved their access to water.

Samir al-Maqtari, an agricultural engineer and government employee, said many agricultural lands in rural Taiz have been abandoned due to water shortages or internal migration in search of services.

He warned that this threatens to leave the land exposed to deterioration and collapse because of sudden heavy rains after years of drought and desertification.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Maqtari urged the government, the UN and international authorities to expand projects that support food security and to seize the opportunity created by thousands of farmers abandoning qat by supporting its replacement with coffee trees, especially since the environmental and climatic conditions needed for both crops are largely similar.

Initial results show that better water management is a decisive factor in protecting coffee farming, which has traditionally depended on fluctuating rainfall. These interventions also help reduce crop losses, stabilize farmers’ incomes and strengthen rural communities’ resilience.