Iranian oil minister arrives in Baghdad for talks

By Aref Youssef

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh arrived in Baghdad on Thursday for talks with his Iraqi counterpart and other officials.

“The visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the energy sector," Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad said in a statement.

The two sides, he added, were also expected to discuss “other issues of common interest”.

While in Baghdad, Zanganeh is also slated to meet with Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Salih, according to Jihad.

In December, the U.S. gave Iraq a 90-day exemption from its recently-imposed sanctions on Iran, during which Baghdad will be allowed to continue making payments for Iranian electricity and gas imports.

Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iranian oil sales were developing “as expected”, going on to assert that the U.S. “will not be able to stop us from exporting oil and gas”.

Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his country from a 2015 landmark nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed sanctions targeting the country’s energy and banking sectors.