The Trump administration has renewed a waiver for Iraq to keep importing Iranian electricity, this time for 30 more days.
A U.S. State Department official told Reuters that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “granted this brief extension of the waiver to allow time for the formation of a credible government.”
The waiver expires on May 26.
The United States has continuously extended the allowance so Iraq can use Iranian electricity to maintain its power grid for up to 90 or 120 days.
However, the Trump administration has called for the oil-rich country to become self-reliant as a contingency of importing electricity from Tehran.
Baghdad has been struggling to form a new government since its previous one collapsed last year following months-long protests.
“Once that government is in place, the Secretary will reassess whether to renew the waiver and for how long,” the State Department official told Reuters.
