The Iraqi Minister of Communications, Arkan Shihab Al-Shaibani, said today, Tuesday, that the government has ratified an agreement to supply Lebanon with a quantity of 500,000 tons of gas oil, which is used to a large extent in operating backup generators.
And last July, Iraq signed an agreement to give Lebanon one million tons of heavy fuel oil annually, in exchange for "goods and services."
Prior to that, last April, Iraq and Lebanon signed a framework agreement stipulating that Baghdad would provide 500,000 tons of Iraqi oil in exchange for Beirut providing medical and hospital services.
Lebanon suffers from a severe energy crisis and daily power cuts amid severe financial and economic distress.
The power shortage has forced essential services - including hospitals - to close or reduce their operating hours.
The crisis is caused by a broader financial meltdown that has hit the economy hard since 2019, and the World Bank has ranked it among the worst in the world since 1850.