Iraq’s Power Gride Faces More Setbacks As Summer Looms

  

Summer and its scorching heat is just around the corner for Iraq but its electrical grid is facing major difficulties.

Iraq Facing Electricity Crisis This Summer Due To Iran War

  

The Iran War is having far reaching affects upon Iraq. The latest is a looming electricity crisis. This is caused by a cut in Iranian natural gas exports to Baghdad as well as a decline in its own gas production.

Iran War Day 38: Candidates For Iraq’s PM Align With Pro-Iran Resistance To Gain Office

  

The pro-Iran Resistance was active in Kurdistan and Baghdad. A peshmerga headquarters was hit by four drones on April 5. The next day two blasts were heard near Irbil airport. Four missiles were shot down heading towards the U.S. consulate in Irbil city. Multiple drones were also intercepted in Irbil province with debris hitting a residential area killing two civilians. In Baghdad drones targeted the logistics support center at the airport.

Iran War Day 36 Iraq's Oil Industry Continues To Be Threatened Financial Crisis By May

The U.S. or Israel bombed the Shalamcheh border crossing between Basra and Iran on the Iranian side. An Iraqi civilian was killed as a result along with five others being wounded.

Iran Has Stopped Supplying Electricity and Natural Gas To Iraq

  

On January 27 it was announced that Iran had stopped electricity exports to Iraq. It claimed this was due to international pressure and regional politics. This comes on top of a halt in natural gas exports by Iran severely cutting power supply in Iraq.

Iraq Moving Ahead With Gas/Electricity Deal With Turkmenistan Despite US Objections

 

It looks like Iraq is moving ahead with a deal to import natural gas and electricity from Turkmenistan despite warnings from the United States that it would violate sanctions on Iran.

Iran Continues To Cut Natural Gas Exports To Iraq

Iran has once again decreased its natural gas exports to Iraq. This is leading to widespread blackouts in central Iraq just as the oppressive heat of summer approaches.

Iran Cuts Natural Gas Exports To Iraq Again As Summer Heat Approaches

On May 22 Iraq’s Electricity Ministry said it lost 3500 megawatts of electricity due to a drop in Iranian natural exports. This mostly hit Diyala province where power outages lasting up to 16 hours began as a result. This is the latest example of how Iran is an unreliable partner.

Iraq Continues To Import Iranian Energy Despite US Demands

In March the Trump administration ended Iraq’s waiver to buy energy from Iran. Despite that Baghdad continues to import natural gas and electricity from its neighbor.

Iraq Continues To Import Iranian Energy Despite Losing US Waiver To Do So

In February President Trump signed a new presidential memorandum restarting his Maximum Pressure campaign against Iran. Iraq was actually the first country to feel the effects as Washington ended its waiver to buy natural gas and electricity from Tehran at the start of March.

US Ends Waiver For Iraq To Buy Natural Gas and Electricity From Iran

The Trump administration is beginning to enforce its Maximum Pressure campaign against Iran and Iraq is paying the price. In March the U.S. refused to renew Iraq’s waiver from sanctions to buy natural gas and electricity from Tehran. This is throwing the government into panic as it has no alternative and the hot summer months are fast approaching.

Trump Ends Iraq’s Exemption To Buy Energy From Iran

Iraq has been worried about what the new Trump administration might do to it for its ties to Iran and got its first news in February.

Iran Cuts Natural Gas Exports To Iraq Again Leading To Power Outages

Iraq imports 30-40% of its energy needs from Iran in the form of electricity and natural gas to fuel power plants. The problem is Tehran constantly cuts off this supply for a number of reasons from maintenance work to Baghdad not paying its bills. That is currently happening leading to blackouts across Iraq.

Iraq Blames U.S. For Power Shortages To Defer From Its Own Failings

PM Sudani recently announced a new deal to ensure Iranian natural gas and electricity imports and then Tehran cut supply three weeks later (Reuters)

During the summer Iran once again began cutting back its natural gas exports to Iraq which is dependent upon them to generate electricity. The ruling Coordination Framework blamed the United States for not allowing Baghdad to pay Tehran but in reality it was due to technical problems. Still, the Sudani government responded with a vague deal to trade Iraqi oil for Iranian gas which has plenty of problems with it. This was all theater however as the prime minister and the Framework wanted to defect blame from themselves and Iran for electricity shortages during the scorching summer.

Iraq’s Electricity Minister Doesn’t Seem To Know What Self-Sufficiency Means

After signing deal to import electricity from Saudi Arabia Iraq's Electricity Min said Iraq might become self-sufficient in energy in a few years (Al Mada)

The Iraqi government has a history of overpromising and underdelivering. In July Electricity Minister Adil Karim provided the latest example. He said that Iraq might become self-sufficient in electricity by 2025 provided money and natural gas to fuel power plants was provided. He went on to say that Iraq might export energy to the Gulf States and Europe.

Iraq Pays Its Debt To Iran For Natural Gas and Electricity

(Dreamstime)

As the summer months approached it appeared that Iraq would be facing another crisis with its energy sector as Iran reduced its natural gas exports due to unpaid bills. That was finally resolved and energy production went back up, but still not enough to meet demand.

Iraq Can’t Pay Its Bills And The Power Grid Suffers

(Georgetown Journal of International Affairs)

On May 16 the Iraqi Supreme Court ruled that the Kazemi administration was an interim government and therefore could not pass any major laws. That meant it could not make any decisions regarding politics or the economy. That is having widespread ramifications for the country.

2021 In Iraq In Review

(AFP)

End of Iraq’s Protest Movement

 

2021 marked the end of Iraq’s protest movement. In January a Nasiriya activist was arrested as part of a government crackdown which restarted demonstrations in the city. The crowds would demand the Dhi Qar governor step down. He responded by calling out the police which used force leading to twelve people being killed. The violence would eventually lead the governor to resign in February and the protests to end afterward. In May an activist was assassinated in Karbala leading to demonstrations there. This would start the call to boycott the 2021 elections. This split the movement and ended the protests.

Review Blood Money, Wasted Billions, Lost Lives, and Corporate Greed in Iraq

Miller, T. Christian, Blood Money, Wasted Billions, Lost Lives, and Corporate Greed in Iraq, New York, Boston, London: Little, Brown and Company, 2006

 

Blood Money, Wasted Billions, Lost Lives, and Corporate Greed in Iraq is about the failed reconstruction project by the United States after the 2003 invasion that deposed Saddam Hussein. Author T. Christian Miller goes through the planning, the different sectors of the country that the Americans tried to rebuild, the private contractors that flocked to profit from the war, and the effect this had on the people of Iraq. The author argues that the U.S. never had solid leadership, kept changing its plans and the result was a total failure.

Security In Iraq Jul 1-7, 2021

Violence spiked during the first week of July. That was due to the Islamic State increasing its campaign against Iraq’s power grid while pro-Iran groups picked up attacks in retaliation for the Biden Administration hitting Hashd camps.