The bank through which
Iraq pays for Iranian gas imports to power its grids said Tuesday it would stop processing payments if a crucial US
sanctions exemption expires next month.
![Iraq bank to stop Iran gas payment transfers if US waiver ends: chairman](http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/19ee403c903c61752c6cfe8d2115c2e8fce597b2.jpg)
A failure to renew the US waiver could be devastating for Iraq's crippled electricity sector, which has relied on
Iran for about a third of its supply, and comes at a time of heightened US-Iran tensions.
Washington slapped tough sanctions on Iran's energy sector in 2018 but has granted Iraq a series of temporary waivers over the last 15 months to allow it to buy gas from Tehran.