Iran urges Iraq to act as US sanctions disrupt flights, threaten historical ties
Iran has urged Iraq to act against the fallout from US sanctions that has disrupted Iranian flights to the country, warning that the measures are threatening the historical ties between the two neighbors.
The Iranian embassy in Baghdad on Thursday called on the Iraqi government to make an “immediate decision” to address restrictions that have prevented Iranian aircraft from receiving services at Iraqi airports.
In a post published on its official X account, the embassy said relations between Tehran and Baghdad are founded on “deep bonds and shared interests,” stressing that the latest flight restrictions had effectively prevented various groups of people, including pilgrims, students and patients, from traveling between the two countries.
“The independent Iraqi government is expected, on ‘Sovereignty Day,’ to take an immediate decision to safeguard these historic relations against provocative measures and the consequences of US sanctions,” it emphasized.
Iranian flights to Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah were suspended after airport service companies in Iraq, fearing secondary US sanctions, refused to provide services to Iranian aircraft following Washington’s imposition of a new round of sanctions on Iranian airlines.
In recent weeks, Baghdad has undertaken extensive diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington over the flight issue, but has secured only a limited, one-month exemption from Washington.
Iraq has reportedly offered safeguards, including passenger screening and information sharing with the US, in a bid to secure a waiver from the US Treasury, Reuters reported.
Earlier this week, Washington issued a limited authorization allowing only pilgrimage flights operated by Iraqi Airways to depart from the holy city of Najaf, while Iranian airlines remain barred from entering Iraqi airspace.
The measure sparked anger among Iraqi political groups, parties and the public, with calls to break the “US siege.” Hundreds of people also staged a sit-in outside Najaf Airport in protest against the restrictions.
The Iraqi government said it had made no decision to halt the flights, adding that foreign companies had independently stopped providing services.
Commercial air travel between Iraq and Iran came to a halt on September 25, 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 US 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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