BAGHDAD: The United States has extended a sanctions waiver that enables Iraq to continue importing gas from Iran but this time granting a significantly shorter waiver period, Iraqi officials and the U.S. State Department said Thursday.
The development is a sign of unease in U.S.-Iraq relations amid near-daily attacks targeting American presence in the Mideast country and underscores the standing U.S. demand that Baghdad wean itself off dependence on Iranian oil.
Washington informed Iraqs leadership this week of its decision to grant a 60-day sanctions waiver, instead of the 120-day waiver issued over the summer, three Iraqi officials told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The State Department confirmed the development.
The earlier, longer period had been granted when…