Iran urges Iraq to lift US sanction-linked flight curbs — SkimNews
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- Iran called on Iraq to remove flight curbs linked to US sanctions, condemning Washington’s 'extraterritorial enforcement' as illegal and inhumane
- Iraqi airports in Baghdad, Erbil, and Sulaimaniyah maintained suspensions of Iranian flights, forcing passengers into 12-hour land journeys and disrupting pilgrim travel
- Flights between Najaf and Iran partially resumed late Monday following efforts by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency
- Foreign ground-handling companies refused services to Iranian airlines due to fear of US sanctions, effectively blocking operations even without formal Iraqi government orders
- US sanctions enforced since September 23 have cut Iran’s international flights by 42% at Imam Khomeini airport, halting routes to Georgia, Oman, Azerbaijan, and Dubai
- Iraq’s government sought a US exemption from the flight ban on humanitarian grounds, citing medical, educational, and religious travel needs of civilians
Why it matters: Iran’s air connectivity has dropped sharply with a 42% fall in outbound flights from Tehran, directly impacting hundreds of thousands of travelers—especially Shia pilgrims—while Iraq’s reliance on third-party service providers allows US sanctions to indirectly dictate its aviation policy despite no official ban.
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