Iraq will abide by US sanctions on Iran: PM

Baghdad  :  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said Iraq will abide by the US sanctions on Iran for the sake of protecting Iraq's interest.

Abadi told a press conference on Tuesday that Iraq, however, in principle is against such "unjust" sanctions, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is a matter of principle that we are against blockade and sanctions (against Iran), which will only destroy societies and won't weaken regimes," Abadi said.

"We are not sympathetic with the US sanctions against Iran, but we will abide by them to protect the interest of our people," he added, citing that non-compliance with the US sanctions will harm Iraqi interest.

On Tuesday, the US re-imposed the first round of economic sanctions on Iran, eased under the 2015 landmark nuclear deal, as result of US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the deal in May.

The sanctions target Iran's trade in precious metals, transactions of US dollars, as well as Iran's auto sector. The second round of US sanctions will take effect in November to include a ban on Iranian oil exports and dealing with Iran's central bank.

Under the 2015 deal, the US agreed to lift the crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran's agreement to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow international inspectors access to its facilities.