IRNA – An Iraqi lawmaker Mithaq Ibrahim believes that Iran's powerful resistance against the US pressures and Washington's need to Baghdad's mediation are the main reasons the US has exempted Iraq form anti-Iran sanctions.

Mithaq Ibrahim, a member of committee of economy and investment at Iraq's parliament, told reporters on Sunday that the US's move in extending Iraq's waiver on gas and electricity imports from Iran is a step to keep Baghdad as a mediator.

Washington has been defeated in exerting economic pressures on Iran, and now it is trying to cover up its failure with regard to Iran sanctions by extending Iraq's waiver.

Iran never yields to the US pressures and sanctions, and will remain steadfast in its resistance against the policies of the US President Donald Trump, he said.

The waiver for Iran's oil import was given to Baghdad just at a time that Iran refused the US president's message that was delivered by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Washington is trying to keep Iraqi government both as a political partner and as a mediator with Iran, Ibrahim said.

Iraqi officials and media reported on Saturday that the US extended Baghdad's waiver to continue electricity and gas imports from Iran for the third consecutive time.

The sanctions were reimposed on Iran in May 2018 when the US withdrew from the nuclear deal with the country. The international deal was signed by Tehran on one side and the world major powers, including Washington, on the other in 2015.

The US unilateral withdrawal from the internationally recognized deal has been criticized by the international community, including the other signatories to the deal.