Javad Owji said on Thursday that the demand for gas dues from Iraq had amounted to $1.6 billion which belonged to the previous years and the preceding administration which has been settled.

“Since the very beginning of the 13th People's Administration, the money for gas exports to Iraq has been received on a monthly basis,” he told a televised interview.

He said that by holding intensive meetings with the Iraqi Ministers of Oil and Electricity and the good cooperation of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “we managed to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Iraqi side, according to which Iraq undertook to settled the gas arrears from the previous years while paying the current expenses for gas imports from our country.”

The Minister of Petroleum underlined the stability of gas exports to Iraq in recent months, and said: "The Iraqi parliament in the current budget (2022) did not consider the payment of gas imports in previous years, but given the negotiations, this issue was raised separately in the parliament of this country, and fortunately, a specific budget was allocated for it.”

90% Growth in Gas Receivables

Emphasizing that $1.6 billion in overdue claims for Iranian gas exports were transferred to the account of the National Iranian Gas Company by the Iraqi side on Wednesday, Owji said: " During the last quarter, compared to the same period last year, Iran's gas exports to neighboring countries have faced a 43% growth in volume, while during the same period in receiving receivables from these exports, we have seen more than 90% growth compared to the same period last year."

He assessed the impact of receiving dollar receivables from the export of oil, gas and petrochemical products on the domestic hard currency market and the supply of staple commodities as positive, and said: "Currently, Iran has no old demand for gas from Iraq."

Emphasizing that Iran has always stood by the Iraqi people and government to provide energy, the petroleum minister said: "We will not allow the Iraqi people to worry about their gas supply in the hot season."

"The stability of gas exports to Iraq has always been emphasized by the Supreme Leader and the President, so we will consider the increase in gas exports to Iraq in our future plans," Owji went on to add.