Iran has started exporting electricity to a central province in Iraq using a new power line, according to the Tehran Times.

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The new 100 MW supply will go to Iraq's Wasit province, which suffers regular blackouts due to shortages, Tehran Times cited the Iraqi news agency Aswat al-Iraq as saying. The area needs 550MW daily but receives little more than one-fourth that amount from the national power grid, according to Iran's semi-official Fars News agency.

Iraq as a whole continues to suffer massive power shortages due to poor infrastructure, a lack of funds, political disorganization, and the effects of the recent US-led war.

The Islamic Republic, a Shiite country, has shown growing friendliness toward Shiite-led Iraq in recent months.

The country has also been increasing its power deals with neighboring countries, electricity exports up nearly 40% when compared with last year, reported Tehran Times.