US Treasury Grants Sanctions Waiver For Some Iranian Flights To Iraq
The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced on Friday that Baghdad has secured a narrow exemption from US sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector, allowing Iranian airlines to resume up to 40 daily flights to Najaf International Airport.
The deal excludes Mahan Air, the statement said, welcoming US “cooperation in granting the necessary exemption.” It added that the move would ease travel for pilgrims, patients, and tourists affected by the sanctions.
“Air travel does not merely represent transportation between two airports, but rather a bridge of communication between peoples,” it added.
Najaf is the chief hub for Iranian flights into Iraq, serving Iraqi Shia pilgrims bound for Iran’s holy cities and Iranians visiting shrines in Iraq. Iraq’s announcement came a day after Tehran called for the restrictions to be lifted.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned Washington’s “illegal and inhumane” enforcement of sanctions beyond US borders, saying they targeted Iranian trade and aviation as part of Washington's campaign to isolate Iran economically.
Prior to the ban, roughly 25 Iranian flights a day landed in Najaf and about 15 in Baghdad, according to Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh.
“Around 12,000 to 13,000 people travel between Iran and Iraq and vice versa on Iranian airlines, which is not a small number,” he told ISNA.
A source told Reuters that keeping the ban in place risked uniting Shia followers of Iran’s supreme leader and of Iraq’s Ali al-Sistani against Baghdad, undermining US efforts to curb Iranian influence in Iraq. Najaf airport had held out until September 25, when it too halted Iranian flights in line with US sanctions.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that, starting September 23, any company that fueled or serviced Iranian aircraft, or sold tickets for them, would be cut off from the dollar system.
Iran vowed to keep its international flights running in defiance of the US blockade, with Civil Aviation Organization spokesperson Majid Akhavan telling ISNA on 22 September that no flights had been canceled.
The pledge came as cancellations spread amid US pressure. Middle East Eye reported that Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, and AJet would halt all flights to and from Iran starting September 21.
The US Treasury sanctioned 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector on 8 September as part of its so-called “Operation Economic Outcast” and withdrew the clearances that allowed non-US airlines to fly US-built or US-controlled commercial jets into Iran.
Washington’s measures applied to any foreign company doing business with Iranian airlines and to firms handling aircraft at Iraqi airports. Fearing US penalties, those firms stopped serving Iranian planes.