Iraq says Iran blames reduced gas exports on ‘technical’ matter

Iran’s foreign minister told his Iraqi counterpart on Friday that a reduction in gas exports to Iraq was a technical matter and Tehran had not decided on any
cuts, an Iraqi foreign ministry statement said, as the two countries try to resolve Baghdad’s huge unpaid bills.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein asked Iranian’s Hossein Amirabdollahian during a phone call about Iran’s reduction of exports in the past week, which Hussein said “led to a decrease in electricity production and has repercussions on daily life,” the statement said.
An Iraqi delegation led by the electricity minister will travel to Iran next week to discuss the issue, Iraqi state media reported on Tuesday, noting gas imports had decreased by 20 million cubic meters at the time.
Iraq usually imports between 50 million to 70 million cubic meters of gas, according to Iraq’s electricity ministry spokesperson Ahmed Moussa.
Iraq imports electricity and gas from Iran that in total makes up between a third and 40% of its power supply, especially crucial in the sweltering summer months when temperatures can top 50 degrees Celsius (122°F) and power consumption peaks.