Iraq seeks exemption from US ban on Iran airlines

The Iraqi government is in talks with the US to secure an exemption from the ban on Iranian airlines. According to The National Business and The National UAE, the talks aim to allow flights to resume for humanitarian reasons, including travel for medical treatment, education, and religious visits.

The ban on Iranian airlines has disrupted travel for pilgrims and patients. The US Treasury Department imposed measures on Iranian airlines flying to airports in the region, prompting neighbouring countries including the UAE, Oman, and Iraq to bar Iranian airlines.

The Iraqi government, led by Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi, is working to ease tensions in the region and has called for dialogue and negotiations to resolve current crises and conflicts. The US has shifted to tightening economic pressure through secondary sanctions on foreign companies that do business with Iranian firms, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning that companies who deal with Iranian airlines would be "knocked out of the dollar system".

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Punch, The National Business, The National UAE — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.