Iran urges Iraq to lift flight ban amid US sanctions

Iran has urged Iraq to lift flight restrictions imposed due to US sanctions, aiming to restore full air travel between the two nations. This call came after Iran's Foreign Ministry criticized Washington's "illegal and inhumane" measures aimed at disrupting Iran's trade and air transport via extraterritorial enforcement of US sanctions. The statement emphasized that millions of Iranian and Iraqi citizens needed an "independent and responsible approach" to resolve the disagreements between the two governments.

Flights between Najaf and Iran resumed late on Monday, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency, which credited Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's "diligent efforts" for the resumption. Iraq's ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdulzahra al-Hajjaj, stated that Baghdad had not made a decision to suspend Iranian flights. The issue of ground-handling companies refusing to provide services due to fears of US sanctions contributed to the remaining suspensions at Baghdad, Erbil, and Sulaimaniyah airports.

Passengers were then forced to undertake long ground journeys, disrupting pilgrim traffic and causing protests across Iraq, including outside Najaf airport and in Nasiriya, Karbala, and Amarah.

The US ban, implemented on September 23 and targeting companies doing business with Iranian airlines, has significantly reduced Iran's international air links. FlightRadar24 reported a 42 percent drop in flights to and from Tehran's Imam Khomeini international airport, with routes to Georgia, Oman, and Azerbaijan entirely halted, and Dubai flights suspended since September 23.

Flights to China remained steady, while the busiest route to Turkiye saw only a 19 percent decrease. Iraq had sought a US exemption "on humanitarian grounds related to medical treatment, education, religious visits, and the interests of civilians."