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Flights Resume Between Iraq and Iran After United States Grants Sanctions Waiver

Published 4d ago · Updated 1d ago

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Targeted sanctions relief from Washington has allowed cross-border flights between Iraq and Iran to restart.

What's new · 18h agoThe United States agreed to grant a targeted sanctions waiver, allowing flights between Najaf and Iranian airports to resume after days of grounded service.

Flights between Iraq's holy city of Najaf and Iranian destinations have restarted after the United States agreed to issue a limited waiver from its aviation sanctions. The move follows days of grounded flights across Iraqi airports, where authorities enforced US restrictions on Iranian carriers. Iraqi officials had appealed directly to Washington for humanitarian relief to accommodate religious pilgrims, students, and medical travelers.

Flights connecting Najaf and Iranian airports resumed following an initial suspension enforced across Iraqi airspace on September 25.
The United States administration agreed to grant a targeted waiver permitting travel for Shia Muslim religious pilgrims between the two nations.
Around 13000 civilians travel daily on roughly 40 flights between Iran and Iraq, servicing students, medical patients, and pilgrims.
Tehran submitted an official complaint to the United Nations regarding the secondary US sanctions that caused flight cancellations across the region.

By the numbers

13,000passengers traveling daily between Iran and Iraq

25daily flights from Iran to Najaf

Timeline

Sep 25Iraqi airports suspend Iranian flights to comply with US aviation sanctions.
Sep 26The Iraqi government opens direct talks with Washington requesting humanitarian exemptions.
Sep 28The United States issues a limited waiver, enabling flights between Najaf and Iran to resume.

Why it matters

Millions of Shia pilgrims travel between Iran and Iraq annually to visit holy sites in Najaf and Karbala, while many Iraqis rely on Iranian institutions for higher education and healthcare. Iraq frequently faces diplomatic challenges balancing its strategic partnership with Washington against its extensive economic and cultural ties with neighboring Iran.

What outlets agree on

Outlets agree that Iraqi airports halted Iranian airline operations on September 25 to avoid secondary US sanctions, prompting Iraqi diplomatic intervention that led to a limited US waiver allowing flights to resume.

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