Abadi: We Only Comply with the Ban on Dollar Transactions with Iran

Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, stated on Monday that his government is only committed to not using the dollar in its transactions with Iran, not to implementing all U.S. sanctions against Tehran. According to Reuters, al-Abadi said at a press conference: 'Our commitment regarding Iran is to not use the dollar in transactions, not to follow U.S. sanctions.' His statements on Monday contradict his remarks from the previous week, where he said Baghdad opposes U.S. sanctions against Iran but complies with them to protect Iraq's interests. Following these remarks, the Iraqi Prime Minister's office announced on Sunday that Mr. Abadi has canceled his trip to Tehran. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that it was unaware of such a trip. Al-Abadi's comments last week drew criticism from several Iraqi groups close to Iran. Mojtaba Hosseini, a representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran in Iraq, also criticized al-Abadi's statements, calling them 'irresponsible.' He stated, 'This is a betrayal of Iran, which has had a sincere position towards Iraq, and a betrayal of the blood of Iranian martyrs who defended Iraq.' Nevertheless, the Iraqi Prime Minister emphasized on Monday: 'Our economic situation is also difficult, and we empathize with Iran. However, I am not looking to give slogans that please some but harm our people.' Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 6, reactivating part of the sanctions against the Islamic Republic that had been suspended after the nuclear agreement. However, the U.S. President also stated the next day on Twitter, regarding the official return of sanctions against Iran, that 'anyone who does business with Iran will not do business with the United States.' Mr. Trump emphasized that these sanctions are 'the most biting' sanctions ever imposed and that another phase will proceed in November.