Billion dollar debt, heat wave push Iran to cut electricity to Iraq
Iran has cut off electricity supplies to Iraq amid increased consumption during a hot spell and reports of massive accrued debt by Baghdad, sparking a wave of protests in central and southern Iraqi regions.
As temperatures rise in the blazing hot summer, wide areas in Iraq’s center and south grapple with an electricity crisis that sparked a wave of protests in Basra, Dhi Qar and Diyala, among others.
During his visit to the Diyala province on July 9, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that these power cuts resulted from the electricity shortage plaguing Iran, which led it to cut off its power supply to Iraq.
“The electricity crisis emerged in Iraq after Iran’s power supply lines had been cut off due to the latter’s need for electricity. This led Iraq to lose about 1,400 megawatts [MW], affecting the number of power supply hours in Diyala and other provinces,” he added.
Abadi promised that the crisis would end soon amid ongoing talks with the Iranian authority aimed at resuming Iran’s power supply.
