Iranian Oil Minister, Javad Owji says Iraq no longer owes the Islamic Republic any arrears for imports of Iranian gas, Iranian media report. In June, Iraq paid $1.6bn in outstanding 2020 invoices to Iran as part of the $17bn emergency financing law passed by the country’s parliament (MEES, 10 June). Mr Owji says that overall, Iraq has paid Iran $2.74bn for gas over the past two years. The payment mechanism is unclear, but US sanctions have hampered the process.