ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s electricity minister on Friday said that Iran has promised to supply the country with larger quantities of gas to power its national grid as the summer season approaches, despite increased American pressure and sanctions on Tehran.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in January conducted a visit to Iran, discussing bilateral ties, including energy relations, with Iranian officials. Electricity Minister Ziyad Ali Fadhil was part of the Iraqi delegation that accompanied the premier.

Fadhil told state media on Friday that the Iraqi delegation emphasized during the visit the need to adhere to the contracts signed between the two sides to ensure continued gas supply.

“The Iranian side promised to commit to providing larger quantities of gas as the summer of 2025 approaches,” said the minister.

In late November, the ministry announced that natural gas supplies from Iran had been fully halted. Fadhil said that the suspension reduced Iraq's power supply by 8,000 megawatts for the months of December and January, additional that they expect to lose an additional 5,000 megawatts as some of the ministry’s units are undergoing maintenance in preparation for the summer.

Iraq has long relied on imports of electricity and gas from Iran, but has faced difficulties paying for these imports due to US sanctions. Previous US administrations have repeatedly renewed a waiver permitting Iraq to purchase Iranian electricity, as the country continues to struggle with providing power to its people.

A National Security Presidential Memorandum by US President Donald Trump to impose further sanctions on Iran on Tuesday said that the Secretary of State shall "modify or rescind sanctions waivers, particularly those that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief.”

Kamel al-Ugaili, member of the Iraqi parliament's electricity and energy committee, told The New Region on Thursday that Iraq has yet to receive any official notification from the US in regards to suspending or amending the sanctions waiver granted to Baghdad to purchase Iranian gas for electricity.

If the Trump administration goes through with revoking the waiver, Baghdad needs to either approach Washington diplomatically in hopes of renewing the permit, expedite the completion of gas import contracts from Qatar, or expedite the implementation of the gas supply agreement with Turkmenistan, according to the lawmaker.

Iranian gas supplies account for between 30 to 40 percent of Iraq’s energy needs. These imports are especially crucial during the summer months, when temperatures can reach 50°C and energy demand peaks.