Engineers say that Iraq's gas supply from Iran, which was halted for a while, is expected to resume within a week.

An?engineer from the?electricity ministry said on Wednesday that Iraq's gas supply from Iran should resume within a few days.

The electricity ministry announced on Tuesday that gas flow from Iran has been stopped due to the shutting down of some generators and the reduction of load in others.

As a result, the ministry reported that between 4,000 and 4,500 megawatts have been lost in?the electric system.

The statement continued, "The Iranian side sent a message to the Ministry of Electricity informing them of the cessation of all gas supplies due to unforeseeable circumstances."

Iran provides between a third and 40 percent of Iraq's power and gas needs.

Two officials from the ministry of electricity said that Iran had not provided a timetable for the resumption of gas supplies to Iraq. Ali Nouri, a ministry engineer, said the flow was expected to resume 'within a few days.

Iraq's peak winter power demand is 48,000 megawatts. Domestic generation is only 27,000 megawatts. This forces the country to import to fill the gap.

Nouri explained that the halt in gas deliveries was due to a spike in demand from Iran.

In?March the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump revoked a waiver which had allowed Iraq to pay Iran electricity. Iraq is a country that struggles with chronic power shortages. This was a part of Trump's campaign to "maximize pressure" against Tehran.

(source: Reuters)