Iran has urged Iraq to remove remaining flight restrictions linked to US sanctions and fully restore normal air travel between the two countries. The appeal came after services between Iran and one Iraqi airport partially resumed earlier in the week.
In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned Washington’s “illegal and inhumane” efforts to disrupt Iranian trade and air transport through the “extraterritorial enforcement” of US sanctions. Tehran called on Baghdad to remove the restrictions.
The ministry said the movement of millions of Iranian and Iraqi citizens required “an independent and responsible approach” to disagreements between the two governments.
Flights between Najaf and Iran resumed late on Monday. Iraq’s ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdulzahra al-Hajjaj, said Baghdad had not decided to suspend Iranian flights. Foreign ground-handling companies, however, refused to provide services because they feared being targeted by US sanctions.
Flights remained suspended at the airports of Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah. Passengers were forced to take land routes lasting at least 12 hours, while pilgrim traffic between predominantly Shia areas was also disrupted.
The suspensions prompted protests in several parts of Iraq, including outside Najaf airport and in Nasiriya, Karbala and Amarah.
The US ban took effect on September 23 and targets any company doing business with Iranian airlines. The measure has sharply reduced Iran’s international air connections.
Flights to and from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport have fallen by 42 percent. Routes to Georgia, Oman and Azerbaijan were halted completely, while flights to Dubai have been suspended since September 23.
Services to China have remained steady. The busiest route, to Turkey, has declined by 19 percent, even as individual airlines have shifted service on and off the route.
Iraq’s government had sought an exemption from the United States “on humanitarian grounds related to medical treatment, education, religious visits, and the interests of civilians”.
Source: aljazeera.com
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1051 | 2 Oct. 2026 | 09:06
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