The managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) announced on Sunday that Iraq has settled all outstanding payments for its imports of natural gas from Iran. Majid Chegeni made this statement during a conference focused on the retrofitting of natural gas production, transmission, distribution systems, and grids, as reported by the Iranian oil ministry’s news service, SHANA.
Chegeni emphasized that the only remaining challenge is the transfer of funds from the TBI Bank of Iraq. He added that negotiations are ongoing to resolve this matter.
Earlier reports from international media on June 11th, quoted a senior Iraqi foreign ministry official stating that Iraq had agreed to pay approximately $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran after receiving a sanctions waiver from the United States.
Moreover, Yahya Al-e Es’haq, Chairman of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce, disclosed on June 10th that $2.7 billion of Iran’s frozen assets in Iraq, due to U.S. sanctions, had been released.
Iraqi Minister of Electricity Ziyad Ali Fadel also confirmed that Baghdad has fully settled its gas debt to Tehran.
Addressing other developments, the Iranian official mentioned ongoing gas negotiations with Turkey and Turkmenistan. He noted that Turkey has expressed interest in extending its gas import contract with Iran, and discussions between the two nations are underway.
Regarding gas imports from Turkmenistan, the CEO of NIGC stated that Tehran and Ashgabat are currently engaged in talks to further strengthen their cooperation in this area.
