Iraqi Airways resumes flights between Najaf, Iranian airports amid US sanctions threats
Iraqi Airways has resumed commercial flights between the holy city of Najaf and Iranian airports after Baghdad held direct talks with Washington to secure exemptions for certain aviation facilities from US sanctions related to flights by Iranian airlines.
According to the official Iraqi News Agency, the flights restarted late on Monday after Najaf and three other Iraqi airports temporarily suspended the flights amid fears over secondary sanctions by the US Treasury Department.
The report noted that “diligent efforts” by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi secured resumption of normal air traffic between the two Muslim neighboring countries.
The development came after Iraqi Ambassador to Iran Yasser Abdulzahra al-Hajjaj said that Najaf International Airport would soon resume normal operation of commercial flights between Iraq and Iran.
“The Iraqi government, led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, is making continuous efforts to resume air travel between the two neighboring countries,” Hajjaj noted.
He added that the Baghdad government took no decision to suspend Iranian flights, but it was rather foreign ground-handling companies which refrained from providing services due to fears of US sanctions.
Earlier on Monday, Iraqi people from every walk of life held massive protests across the country to condemn the Baghdad government’s decision to suspend all flights to and from Iran.
The nationwide protests were held outside Najaf International Airport, the southern city of Nasiriyah, the holy shrine city of Karbala and the southeastern city of Amarah.
Meanwhile, Iran has filed a formal complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over US aviation sanctions.
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization chief Abuzar Shiroudi stated that coordinated efforts are underway with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resume flights legally.
Shiroudi said the ICAO has ruled in favor of Iran regarding the Islamic Republic’s formal protest over US aviation sanctions.
Commercial air travel between Iraq and Iran came to a halt on Friday, as ground-handling firms stopped offering their services on these routes due to concerns about possible sanctions from the US Treasury Department, prompting airlines to cancel their flight operations.
On September 8, the Treasury Department enacted sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines and released a warning suggesting that international airports, fuel suppliers, ground-handling companies, and other service providers working with sanctioned airlines could face secondary sanctions.
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