Iran calls on Iraq to lift flight restrictions, reject US ‘economic terrorism’

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has called on Iraq to lift restrictions on air travel between the two countries, calling on Baghdad to confront US “economic terrorism and sedition” and restore normal flights in the interests of both nations.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, while respecting the national sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, calls for the adoption of appropriate decisions in confronting the economic terrorism and sedition-making of the United States, to remove the restrictions and return the flights of the airlines of the two countries to normal conditions, in line with the interests and benefits of the two nations,” the ministry said in a Thursday statement.

The call follows new US sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector. The US Treasury announced on September 8 that it had sanctioned 36 entities connected to the sector under what it called “Operation Economic Outcast,” including Iranian commercial airlines.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said Iranian airlines would effectively be shut out of international operations from September 23. Washington warned that foreign airports, fuel suppliers and other companies providing services to Iranian carriers could face secondary sanctions.

Iraq subsequently suspended flights to and from Iran, while Baghdad sought exemptions for travel related to pilgrimage, medical treatment and education.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said it “condemns the illegal and inhumane actions and moves of the US administration to disrupt Iran’s commercial exchanges and air transportation with other countries through the extraterritorial implementation of illegal US sanctions.”

“These actions are not only contrary to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law, particularly the principle of respect for the national sovereignty of states, and violate the fundamental norms of human rights,” the statement said.

The ministry further warned that the US measures constitute “a dangerous plot aimed at undermining friendly relations among countries, particularly neighbors.”

Against this backdrop, Tehran highlighted the longstanding ties between Iran and Iraq.

The statement specifically addressed Iran-Iraq air links, recalling the deep historical, religious, cultural, and popular ties between the two nations. It also praised the fraternal and good-neighborly relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq.

“Relations between Iran and Iraq, beyond conventional relations between two neighboring countries, are based on deep people-to-people ties and mutual interests in various fields,” it said.

Millions of Iranian and Iraqi citizens travel between the two countries for economic and commercial activities, pilgrimage, tourism, education, and medical treatment, the Ministry said, adding that this requires “issues related to transportation and communications between the two peoples be managed through an independent, responsible and forward-looking approach based on common interests.”

The statement said the restrictions had already affected large numbers of people on both sides.

“The restrictions imposed on air traffic between the two countries, in addition to creating serious problems for hundreds of thousands of passengers, pilgrims, patients, students and economic actors of the two countries, are in clear conflict with the nature of the strategic relations based on good-neighborliness between Iran and Iraq,” it said.

Iraq’s decision to suspend flights triggered protests in Iraq earlier this week. People from different walks of life took part in demonstrations across the country, including a gathering of hundreds outside Najaf International Airport, where protesters demanded the resumption of commercial flights between the two neighboring Muslim countries.

Iraqi Airways is now preparing to resume flights to Iran in October after Iraq’s Transport Ministry secured a special exemption from the US Treasury.

The waiver is valid for one month, while the number of permitted flights has yet to be determined. Services are initially expected to operate from the holy city of Najaf after regulatory and technical requirements are completed.

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