Iranian airlines allowed 40 daily flights to Najaf

Iranian airlines, excluding Mahan Air, have been permitted to operate up to 40 daily flights to and from Iraq’s Najaf International Airport, according to the Iraqi prime minister’s office, following a suspension of services linked to US sanctions.

The US announced in September that it would impose sanctions on global companies doing business with Iranian airlines after September 23, in a move aimed at grounding Iran’s entire civilian aviation fleet worldwide.

Iraq halted flights to and from Iran last week in line with US sanctions. The US has accused Iranian carrier Mahan Air of transporting personnel from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, as well as weapons and drones.

Efforts by the Iraqi government to secure an exemption from the restrictions “have resulted in an agreement allowing Iranian airlines, with the exception of Mahan Air, to operate 40 daily flights to and from Najaf Al-Ashraf International Airport,” Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s office said in a statement, as reported by The New Region.

Zaidi praised “the positive response shown by the U.S. government to Iraq’s efforts and its cooperation in granting the requested exemption.”

The statement said Zaidi had pushed for Iranian flights to and from Najaf International Airport to resume. The exemption will facilitate travel for pilgrims and other passengers, including those travelling for medical treatment, religious visits and tourism.

The Iraqi government was in direct talks with the US to secure sanctions exemptions allowing certain Iraqi airports to resume flights with Iran on humanitarian grounds.

The four Iraqi airports that receive Iranian flights, Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, had halted arrivals from Iran in recent days after the US imposed sanctions.

Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport said on September 26 that flights to Türkiye, China, Pakistan, Vietnam and Afghanistan were continuing as scheduled despite wider disruptions to Iranian air travel following the US sanctions.

Flight data also indicates that Iranian carriers, including Mahan Air, continue to operate flights to Russia.

The airport said no additional cancellations had been announced beyond routes that had already been suspended, including flights to the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman and Georgia.