Trump administration considers waiver to allow Iraqi flights for pilgrimage in Iran - report

The Trump administration is contemplating granting a limited waiver to its Iran sanctions program to permit flights carrying Shi'ite Muslim religious pilgrims between Iran and Iraq, reported a source familiar with the matter. According to the source, the US Treasury Department's waiver would permit Iraqi Airways to operate services to and from Najaf, the Shi'ite holy city, for a period of one month.

There is potential for a more permanent waiver to be implemented in the future. Iraq had ordered its civil aviation authority to suspend flights from Iran to Baghdad airport starting September 22, as per two sources speaking to Reuters. The move came after the United States threatened to sanction any airport that services Iranian carriers.

Tehran had responded by threatening to target the airports of neighboring countries that cooperate with the US sanctions against Iranian airlines. Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei warned that countries that cooperate with the United States will see their airports lose the ability to fly. Iranian airlines were barred from neighboring countries, including the UAE and Oman, following the new round of US sanctions.

If Iran is denied flight and access to airport services, no country in the region would have this possibility either, stated Mohammad Mokhber, the lead Iranian adviser, in a tweet on X.