Iraq allows Iranian airlines to resume up to 40 daily Najaf flights after US exemption

Iraq has agreed to let Iranian airlines, except Mahan Air, operate up to 40 flights a day to and from Najaf International Airport after Washington granted an exemption from sanctions. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's office on Friday, following talks between Baghdad and Washington. The move restores a key air link that had been disrupted after US sanctions on Iran's aviation sector last month.

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The office said al-Zaidi welcomed the "positive response shown by the US government to Iraq's efforts and its cooperation in granting the necessary exemption." Iraq's foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, also said the return of flights supports an Iraqi-US partnership based on mutual respect. He added that Washington had shown understanding of the importance of religious freedom and access for visitors to holy sites. The US Treasury imposed sanctions on September 8 against 36 entities linked to Iran's aviation sector.

After that, foreign ground-handling companies refused to service Iranian aircraft for fear of breaching sanctions, and flights stopped at four Iraqi airports. Iraq's ambassador to Tehran, Yasser al-Hajjaj, said Baghdad had not ordered the suspension, while Iran's ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh, said there had previously been about 25 daily flights from Iran to Najaf and about 15 to Baghdad. Najaf is the main destination for Iranian flights in Iraq and a major point of travel for Iraqi Shia pilgrims heading to Iran's holy cities, as well as Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq.

Iranian officials had argued that the restrictions were affecting pilgrims, patients, students and business travellers. The resumption therefore has significance beyond aviation, because it affects cross-border movement tied to religious travel and wider people-to-people links between the two neighbours. The suspension also prompted demonstrations outside Najaf airport and in the cities of Nasiriya, Karbala and Amarah, according to Iranian state media.

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Those protests underline the sensitivity of air access to Najaf, which serves a large flow of religious visitors. The exemption appears to ease immediate pressure on both governments after a period of disruption caused by sanctions-related compliance concerns among service providers. What remains unclear is how quickly the flights will return to previous levels and whether the exemption will hold for all carriers other than Mahan Air.

It is also not yet clear how long the waiver will last or whether further operational limits will apply at other Iraqi airports. The next developments to watch are the pace of resumed services, any further US clarification, and whether the arrangement reduces tensions over aviation access between Baghdad and Tehran.

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