Iran, Iraq to resume flights after US sanctions waiver

Iranian and Iraqi airlines are set to resume flights between the two countries on Sunday after Baghdad secured a US exemption allowing Iranian carriers to operate services to and from Najaf International Airport.

The head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, Captain Abuzar Shiroudi, said the decision was reached following consultations between senior officials in Tehran and Baghdad.

He urged passengers to check the latest flight schedules with their airlines or departure airports before heading to the airport.

The resumption follows an agreement announced by the Iraqi prime minister’s office on Friday under which Iranian airlines, with the exception of Mahan Air, can operate up to 40 flights a day to and from Najaf.

Baghdad said the exemption was secured following talks with Washington and would facilitate travel for passengers, including those traveling for medical treatment, religious visits and tourism.

Najaf is a major destination for air travel between Iran and Iraq, serving Iranian visitors traveling to religious sites in Iraq as well as Iraqi pilgrims visiting Iran’s holy cities.

The flights had been suspended after US sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector affected companies providing services to Iranian airlines.

Iraq had sought exemptions from Washington to restore air links, particularly for pilgrimage, medical and educational travel.

Iranian officials had criticized the restrictions, saying they were disrupting travel between the neighboring countries. 

Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh, previously said around 12,000 to 13,000 people traveled between the two countries each day on Iranian airlines before the restrictions. 

The latest agreement comes after Iran urged Iraq to act against the fallout from US sanctions that have disrupted Iranian flights to the country, warning that the measures are threatening the historical ties between the two neighbors.

The US sanctions have also affected other international connections to Iran, with several foreign airlines suspending or reducing services amid concerns about penalties. Washington has warned that companies providing certain services to Iranian airlines could face restrictions under its sanctions regime.

The Iraqi government has described the Najaf exemption as a step aimed at easing travel and maintaining important links between the two neighboring countries.

The Iraqi prime minister’s office also said Baghdad would continue consultations to address remaining obstacles to air transportation.

Iran urges Iraq to act as US sanctions disrupt flights, threaten historical ties

Iran’s embassy in Iraq has firmly urged Baghdad to make a swift decision to protect historical ties between the two countries from the fallout of the US measures.

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.

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.

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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