Iraq Approves 40 Daily Iranian Flights to Najaf After US Waiver

Iraq has agreed to allow Iranian airlines, excluding Mahan Air, to operate up to 40 flights daily to and from Najaf International Airport after the United States granted Baghdad an exemption from sanctions.

The agreement was announced on Friday by the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, a day after Iran urged Iraq to lift restrictions that had affected pilgrims, patients, students and business travellers.

Al-Zaidi welcomed the US decision, describing the exemption as a positive response to Iraq’s efforts. He said air travel was not only a means of transportation but also an important link between people.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein also welcomed the resumption of flights, saying it supported Iraq-US cooperation and facilitated access to religious sites.

The flights were suspended after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector on September 8. Foreign ground-handling companies subsequently stopped servicing Iranian aircraft because of concerns over violating US sanctions, leading to the suspension of Iranian flights at four Iraqi airports.

Before the restrictions, Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad said there were approximately 25 daily flights from Iran to Najaf and 15 to Baghdad, with about 12,000 to 13,000 people travelling between Iran and Iraq each day on Iranian airlines.

Flights between Iran and Najaf resumed late on Monday. However, services involving Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah remain suspended, forcing some passengers to make land journeys of at least 12 hours.

Najaf is a major destination for Iranian travellers, particularly pilgrims visiting religious sites in Iraq and Iraqi Shia Muslims travelling to holy cities in Iran.

Al Jazeera said it had not independently verified the reported US exemption with officials in Washington.

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