Trump administration ends Iraq's waiver to buy Iranian electricity

9/3/2025 12:51

The Trump administration rescinded a waiver on Saturday that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, as part of President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran, a State Department spokesperson said.



The decision to let Iraq's waiver lapse upon its expiration "ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief," the spokesperson said, adding that Trump's campaign on Iran aims "to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups."



Trump restored "maximum pressure" on Iran in one of his first acts after returning to office in January. In his first term, he pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, a multinational agreement to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.



The U.S. government has said it wants to isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenues in order to slow Tehran's development of a nuclear weapon.



Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons and says its program is peaceful.