Iran calls on Iraq to lift flight ban amid US sanctions

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1547 EAT on Friday 2 October 2026

Iran has called on Iraq to lift remaining flight restrictions linked to US sanctions and fully restore normal air travel between the two countries, despite the partial resumption of services at an Iraqi airport earlier this week.

In a statement on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as Washington’s “illegal and inhumane” efforts to disrupt Iran’s trade and air transport through the “extraterritorial enforcement” of US sanctions.

The ministry urged Baghdad to remove the remaining restrictions and restore normal air connectivity between the two countries.

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 Monday, according to Iraq’s state-run Iraqi News Agency, which attributed the resumption to what it described as the “diligent efforts” of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

Iraq’s ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdulzahra al-Hajjaj, said Baghdad had not ordered the suspension of Iranian flights.

However, foreign ground-handling companies reportedly refused to provide services over fears of US sanctions.

Flights remained suspended at Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports, forcing passengers to undertake land journeys lasting at least 12 hours and disrupting pilgrim travel between Shia-majority areas.

The suspensions sparked protests in several parts of Iraq, including outside Najaf airport and in the cities of Nasiriya, Karbala and Amarah, according to Iranian state media Press TV.

The US ban, which took effect on September 23, targets companies that do business with Iranian airlines and has significantly reduced Iran’s international air connections.

Flights to China have remained steady, while services on the busiest route to Türkiye have declined by only 19 percent, despite individual airlines shifting flights on and off the route.

Iraq’s government had sought an exemption from the US restrictions “on humanitarian grounds related to medical treatment, education, religious visits and the interests of civilians.”

-Aljazeera

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