Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said his country’s relations with Iran will not be influenced by other states’ demands or pressures.
“Iraq is an independent country and values its foreign relations, especially with Iran, based on its own national interests,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Abdul Mahdi made the statement in a Sunday meeting with Hassan Danaeifar, the head of the department for expanding economic relations with Iraq and Syria, and Iraj Masjedi, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq.
He was referring to the United States’ threats to punish countries that do business with Iran as part of its sanctions against Tehran, which were reimposed after it withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in May.
Stressing that Iran and Iraq are economically closely linked, Abdul Mahdi reiterated Iraq’s opposition to the US unilateral and hostile measures against the Iranian nation.
“Iraq’s position is like that of the European Union, Russia and China … Iraq will not join the sanctions regime,” he said.
In the meeting, the Iranian side outlined problems impeding the two countries’ collaborations, which the Iraqi premier pledged to sort out.
Danaeifar, for instance, called for increasing the number of border crossings between the states, developing the export of Iranian goods to Iraq and launching the project of Shalamcheh-Basra Railroad.
The Iranian officials also met the Iraqi ministers for construction, transport and electricity, and discussed the latest developments in Iran-Iraq relations.
They were to meet other Iraqi ministers and authorities during their three-day mission in Baghdad.
Mutually Beneficial
Iran is Iraq’s second biggest trade partner. The amount of trade between the two countries stands at $12 billion at present, which is set to increase to reach the target of $20 billion based on an agreement between President Hassan Rouhani and his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih, who met in Tehran last month.
The government in Baghdad is negotiating with American officials to obtain long-term relief from sanctions that would restrict Iraq’s relations with its major trade partner.
Salih has urged the US to consider Baghdad’s political and economic position since Iraq does not want “to be burdened with the sanctions on Iran”.
Iraq also heavily relies on Iranian energy. The US has given Baghdad temporary relief for 45 days to continue purchasing natural gas and electricity from its non-Arab neighbor on condition that it does not pay for the imports in US dollar.
Besides, having emerged from a lingering insurgency that devastated much of its infrastructure, Iraq is in dire need of international cooperation for reconstruction.
As the US is attempting to strain Iran’s international economic relations, it is also essential for Tehran to counter such efforts by working to expand its trade ties with such key partners as Iraq.
Iraq is a major importer of a wide range of Iranian goods, including food, agricultural products, home appliances, air conditioners and spare car parts.
Tehran, too, is striving to retain long-lasting ties while exploring new areas of collaboration.
