Iranian flights to Najaf airport in southern Iraq resume after US exemption
Iranian flights to Najaf airport resume after Washington grants an exemption from sanctions to Iraq and Iraqi Airways
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Iranian airlines resumed flights to Najaf Airport in southern Iraq on Sunday, following Washington’s granting of an exemption to Baghdad that permits such flights to the city.
Hussein Al-Muhanna, deputy director of Najaf Airport, told AFP, “Our flights between Iraq and the Islamic Republic have resumed via Najaf Airport.”
The first flight by Iran’s Caspian Airlines arrived at Najaf Airport around 5:15 p.m. (2:15 p.m. GMT), according to an AFP photographer on site.
Iraq announced on Friday that it had obtained an exemption from the United States allowing Iranian airlines to operate 40 daily flights to and from Najaf Airport.
Last week, all Iraqi airports began complying with U.S. sanctions imposed on the entire Iranian aviation sector, causing significant disruptions at Najaf Airport, which serves as a key gateway for Shia pilgrims visiting holy shrines.
Iranian airlines primarily transport pilgrims from Iran, as well as Iraqis wishing to travel there for religious visits, medical treatment, or academic studies.
Iraqi official sources confirmed on Tuesday that Washington had granted Iraqi Airways an exemption to operate round-trip flights from Najaf Airport to Iran, exclusively for transporting Iranian pilgrims to the holy shrines.
Washington had given foreign companies assisting Iran’s aviation sector until September 23 to comply with the embargo, such as ceasing to supply Iranian aircraft with jet fuel.
Failure to comply exposes these companies to the risk of being blacklisted themselves, thereby isolating them from the dollar-based financial system.
The suspension of air travel has forced those wishing to visit Iraq from Iran, or vice versa, to seek alternatives through lengthy overland journeys, as foreign airlines have suspended flights to Iran since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic in February.
Iraq, which has become a battleground for competition between the United States and Iran since the 2003 U.S. invasion, has long sought to balance its relations with the two powers that wield significant political and economic influence in the country.
