Shamkhani:
Iran, Iraq agree to new payment mechanism for arrears
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani has said that Tehran and Baghdad have agreed to a new mechanism for the settlement of payments related to Iraqi energy arrears to Iran.
MEHR: Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani has said that Tehran and Baghdad have agreed to a new mechanism for the settlement of payments related to Iraqi energy arrears to Iran.
In an interview with the IRNA, Shamkhani said that Tehran and Baghdad had agreed to a new arrangement to use Iranian funds that remain blocked in Iraq because of US sanctions.
He said the funds will be used to purchase basic goods and to settle payments owed by Iranian merchants to trade partners in Iraq.
The top security official also referred to an agreement reached during his visit to the United Arab Emirates last week to facilitate the use of the UAE dirham in trade ties between Iran and the UAE.
Shamkhani said financial agreements that he worked out in the UAE and in Iraq would positively impact the foreign exchange situation in Iran.
The SNSC chief and his Iraqi counterpart Qassim al-Araji signed a major agreement on Sunday to enable Iran and Iraq to boost security along their borders.
He said that the security pact with Iraq “is definitely regarded as a very important development”.
