ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq is set to dispatch a delegation to Iran to discuss restarting gas imports to power its electricity grid, state media reported Sunday. The move comes after Baghdad said it has completely suspended gas imports from Tehran in December.

Iranian gas supplies previously accounted for between 30 and 40 percent of Iraq’s energy needs, but Baghdad was for years under heavy pressure from Washington to curb its over-reliance on Iran.

The halt in importing Iranian gas has cost Iraq over 5,500 megawatts on the national grid, according to state media, with electricity ministry spokesperson Ahmed Moussa saying that it has most affected the power plants that directly relied on Tehran’s gas.

A delegation from the Iraqi electricity ministry is set to visit Iran to discuss restarting the gas imports, according to the official.

The Iranian imports are especially crucial during the summer months when temperatures in Iraq can reach 50°C and energy demand peaks.

The ministry has managed to continue providing electricity as the weather conditions are currently moderate, Moussa explained, warning that “any sharp rise or fall in temperature will quickly show its effect on demand.”

The US in March 2025 declined to renew a sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to buy electricity from Iran as part of President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran; another sanctions waiver remains in place by Washington, however, for Iraq to import gas from neighbor Iran.