Iranians given hope over sanctioned flights to Iraq

Iranian flights to Najaf, a holy Shiite city in Iraq, may resume as early as Tuesday, providing some relief from US sanctions, according to diplomats at the UN General Assembly. The Iraqi ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdulzahra Al Hajjaj, announced that the airport in Najaf will reopen to Iranian flights within 24 hours, as reported by official Iraqi media on Monday evening.

The flight suspension was implemented on Friday as the consequences of US sanctions on Iran spread throughout the Middle East. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had cautioned that any companies engaged with Iranian airlines would be "disconnected from the dollar system." The blocked route to Najaf was particularly disappointing due to its religious importance.

In June, Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's coffin was carried through the city during a funeral procession in Iraq. Al Hajjaj mentioned that the Iraqi government did not issue a decision to cease flights with Iran, but rather that "foreign ground-handling companies avoided providing their services due to concerns about US sanctions."

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi is actively working towards restoring air travel between the two neighboring nations, according to Al Hajjaj. Despite the US Treasury Secretary's warnings, the sanctions aim to economically isolate Iran and compel concessions in the conflict. However, UN General Assembly meetings have yet to produce a breakthrough.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to meet mediators in New York for a final diplomatic effort on the last day of speeches from the UN podium. The US will hold separate talks with Qatari mediators, according to a Reuters source. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi and the mediators will review the latest proposals and positions regarding the current situation.

It remains unclear who will represent the US in these negotiations. The discussions are expected to address an updated version of Iran's proposal made earlier this week. Araghchi had suggested a deal that would involve a seven-day countdown to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, halt regional fighting, end hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, unfreeze billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets, and lift sanctions on Iranian oil and US blockades on Iranian ports.

US President Donald Trump explicitly rejected the plan, stating that Iran was losing badly and wanted to open the strait immediately. The previous US-Iran deal, signed in June, provided a 60-day window for final negotiations to end the war, but the deadline passed without agreement as hostilities resumed across the Arabian Gulf, especially involving shipping.

Oil prices spiked on Monday as peace talks seemed to reach an impasse. Iran's rial also plummeted to a record low of 2.4 million per dollar on Monday, according to tracking website Bonbast. In his periodic written message, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei stated that enemy forces would eventually be driven out of the Arabian Sea and that they no longer dared to advance after suffering "painful blows" from Iranian fighters near the Strait of Hormuz. Khamenei predicted that the Arabian Sea would eventually be cleared of their presence.