Iranian MP urges Iraq to pay war compensations

An Iranian lawmaker has demanded Iraq pay compensations to Iran over the 1980-88 war between the two countries, according to local media reports on Saturday.

“War compensation cannot be ignored in relations between the two countries," Hishmatullah Fallah Bisha, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian parliament, told the semi-official ISNA news agency.

He claimed that Iraqi officials did not refuse to pay compensations categorically.

The Iranian MP said Iraq’s current oil production is higher than production by Iran.

"Iraq earns a lot of money from the sale of oil, so they have the ability to pay compensations [to Iran] as they do to Kuwait,” he said.

Iraq fought an 8-year war against Iran under the former regime of Saddam Hussein between 1980 and 1988.

Last week, reformist MP Mahmoud Sadeghi pointed out that Iraq owes Iran $1.1 trillion due to the damages and losses --caused by Iraq-- in the first Gulf War (1980-1988) and the second (1990-1991).

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said his government would not make dollar-dominated transactions with Iran -- in line with the U.S. sanctions -- while refraining from implementing the full raft of American penalties recently imposed on Tehran.

The sanctions are intended to hinder Tehran's acquisition of U.S. currency; its precious metals trade; bank transactions denominated in the Iranian rial; activities related to Iran's sovereign debt; and the country’s automotive sector.