Britain: Iraq Must Free Itself from Iran's Economic Influence

A British official has stated that Iraq must free itself from the economic influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran and become energy self-sufficient. Alistair Burt, the UK’s Deputy Middle East Minister, said in an interview with Reuters on Sunday, February 26, that Iraq needs to end its economic and energy dependence on Iran. He, who traveled to Iraq following U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about the withdrawal of American forces from Syria, stated that imagining Iraq without Iranian influence is fanciful, but what is important is that Iraq follows its own future in determining foreign relations and has a strong economy that does not rely on Iran. Following Trump's statements about the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, a wave of diplomatic visits is underway in Baghdad. 'U.S. allies are concerned about the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, and even if this withdrawal is slower than planned, it will embolden Iran, which is trying to expand its influence in Syria and Iraq.' Reuters reports that the U.S. hopes to counter Tehran's influence in the region by resorting to new sanctions against Iran and has encouraged Iraq to stop purchasing gas from Iran. The U.S. has given Iraq until the beginning of spring to cut off gas imports from Iran, although Iraqi officials say it will take at least two years to become independent from Iranian gas. Iraq imports Iranian gas for use in power plants and is also Iran's largest electricity customer. The British Deputy Foreign Minister stated that Iraq should utilize its oil resources to become energy self-sufficient. 'Iraq's oil revenues can be used to collect associated gases and utilize them efficiently.' According to World Bank statistics, Iraq burns 17 billion cubic meters of associated gas annually. Associated gas is the gas that is released alongside oil from oil fields and can be collected and utilized with investment. Iran itself burns nearly 18 billion cubic meters of associated gas each year. Reuters notes that Iraq's daily oil production capacity has reached five million barrels, although it produces less than its capacity due to OPEC's agreement to cut oil production. The U.S. hopes that Iraq will stop burning associated gases and that these resources will replace imported gas from Iran. Iran has also increased its non-oil exports to Iraq by about 50 percent in the first nine months of this year. With nearly seven billion dollars in imports during this period, Iraq has become the largest destination for Iran's exported goods, previously held by China and the UAE. Mr. Burt also deemed a military confrontation between Iran and the U.S. in Iraq or Syria unlikely but stated that 'any confrontation would be a miscalculation.' Tensions between Iran and Israel, a close U.S. ally, have increased in Syria, with Israel frequently attacking Iranian targets and bases in Syria.