October 4, 2026
The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, announced that an official exception had been reached allowing Iranian airlines to operate up to 40 flights daily to and from Najaf International Airport, just days after air traffic between the two countries was suspended due to US sanctions. The new agreement excludes Mahan Air, which continues to be subject to US sanctions imposed on it for years against the backdrop of Washington’s accusations that it provided support to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Ali Al-Zaidi, from the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office, explained that this understanding was the result of a series of close contacts and follow-ups with the concerned authorities. He stressed that these government endeavors aim to facilitate the movement of travelers and visitors, in addition to supporting humanitarian, therapeutic, tourism and academic cases, and strengthening family ties and mutual travel.
Al-Zaidi appreciated the “positive response” of the American administration in granting this exception, which returns an essential part of air traffic between Iraq and Iran to normal, especially towards Najaf Airport, which usually witnesses a large turnout of religious visitors, patients, and students.
This development comes to temporarily end the suspension of flights imposed by Baghdad in compliance with the US sanctions that entered into force on September 23. The Iraqi government had intensified its direct contacts with the American side to exclude vital airports from these restrictions, in response to repeated Iranian demands to lift the restrictions that Tehran saw as hindering the movement of its citizens, including visitors, patients, students, and businessmen.
