Iraqis take to streets to protest against ‘unjust’ blockade against Iran
Iraqi protesters have flooded the streets in the southern port city of Basra to denounce the Baghdad government’s decision to halt Iranian airline operations following US sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector.
On Saturday evening, demonstrators converged along the banks of the Shatt al-Arab river, in a rally attended by Chairman of the Basra Provincial Council Khalaf al-Badran and a group of local activists to censure the “unjust” siege.
“We must not be subservient to the United States. If Iranian flights do not resume, no other aircraft should be allowed to land either,” the participants chanted as they waved Iranian flags and voiced resentment over Iraqi officials’ decision to cancel flights between the two neighboring countries.
The demonstrators vowed to stage protests at Iraqi airports nationwide unless normal air traffic between the two Muslim neighboring countries resumes.
They also declared they were organizing to stage similar rallies in the capital Baghdad, as well as the holy shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala within the next few days.
On September 8, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against 27 Iranian airlines and issued a cautionary statement indicating that international airports, fuel distributors, ground-handling enterprises, and additional service providers engaging with sanctioned carriers would be susceptible to secondary sanctions.
Najaf International Airport, the last Iraqi airport still operating flights to Iran, suspended services at 2 a.m. local time on Friday until further notice, according to an official directive.
Erbil International Airport and Sulaymaniyah’s International Airport took similar measures. Kirkuk International Airport also said it had no flights to Iran.
Iraq’s Ambassador to Tehran, Yasser al-Hajjaj, has stated that Baghdad is conducting intensive consultations to restore commercial flights between Iraq and Iran to normal operations as swiftly as possible.
Hajjaj described the suspension of flights between the two neighboring states as “temporary,” stressing it will in no way compromise the historical depth and solid foundations of mutual relations.
The ambassador underscored that the Iraqi government remains actively engaged in diplomatic and technical efforts to overcome the current disruption without delay.
Several Iraqi political and Resistance figures have also criticized the suspension of Iranian flights.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi stated Iran is Iraq’s “neighbor, ally, and friend” and called the airport closure a major mistake, urging authorities to reverse the decision.
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Secretary-General Akram al-Kaabi vowed in a statement on Friday that the Iraqi anti-terror resistance group will stage sit-ins at Iraqi airports nationwide unless normal air traffic between the two Muslim neighboring countries resumes.
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