Iraq grants Iranian airlines 40 daily Najaf flights after US exemption

Mahan Air is excluded from the agreement as Baghdad says Washington granted its request for a waiver.

Demonstrators gather outside the Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf International Airport in Najaf on September 28, 2026, demanding the facility to be reopened for flights from Iran [AFP]

Iraq has agreed to let Iranian airlines, except Mahan Air, operate up to 40 flights a day to and from Najaf International Airport, saying the United States granted an exemption from its sanctions.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s office announced the agreement on Friday, a day after Tehran urged Baghdad to lift restrictions that it said hurt pilgrims, patients, students and business.

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The deal eases the links between the two Shia-majority neighbours since Washington sanctioned Iran’s aviation sector last month.

Al-Zaidi welcomed the “positive response shown by the US government to Iraq’s efforts and its cooperation in granting the necessary exemption”, the statement from his office said.

“Air travel does not merely represent transportation between two airports, but rather a bridge of communication between peoples,” it added.

Separately, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said the return of flights supports an Iraqi-US partnership premised on mutual respect.

Hussein also welcomed what he described as US understanding of the importance of respecting religious freedom and facilitating access for visitors to holy sites.

Security personnel stand guard as demonstrators gather outside the Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf International Airport in Najaf, demanding the facility to be reopened for flights from Iran [AFP]

The US Treasury announced sanctions on September 8 against 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector .

Foreign ground-handling companies then refused to service Iranian aircraft for fear of falling foul of US sanctions, and flights stopped at four Iraqi airports.

Soon after, Iraq’s government held direct talks with Washington, seeking an exemption.

Iraq’s ambassador to Tehran, Yasser al-Hajjaj, told Iran’s IRNA news agency that Baghdad had not ordered the halt in flights. The suspension also led to demonstrations outside Najaf airport and in Nasiriya, Karbala and Amarah, according to Iran’s Press TV.

Najaf is the main destination for Iranian flights in Iraq. Flights to and from the city carry Iraqi Shia Muslim pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities or Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq.

Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh, told the Iranian news agency ISNA that there were “roughly 25 daily flights from Iran to Najaf and about 15 flights to Baghdad” before the ban.

“Around 12,000 to 13,000 people travel between Iran and Iraq and vice versa on Iranian airlines, which is not a small number,” he added.

In a statement shared on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that Washington’s “illegal and inhumane” extraterritorial enforcement of sanctions was disrupting Iran’s trade and air transport.

Flights between Najaf and Iran restarted late on Monday, according to the Iraqi News Agency.

However, flights with Iran are still suspended at Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports, forcing passengers into land journeys of at least 12 hours and disrupting pilgrim traffic.

Al Jazeera has not verified the exemption with representatives in Washington.

马汉航空被排除在该协议之外，因为巴格达方面表示，华盛顿方面已批准其豁免请求。

2026年9月28日，示威者聚集在伊朗纳杰夫的纳杰夫阿什拉夫国际机场外，要求重新开放该机场，允许来自伊朗的航班起降。[法新社]

伊拉克已同意除马汉航空以外的伊朗航空公司每天运营往返纳杰夫国际机场的最多 40 个航班，并称美国已给予其制裁豁免。

伊朗总理阿里·扎伊迪的办公室于周五宣布了这项协议。此前一天，德黑兰敦促巴格达解除限制措施，称这些限制措施损害了朝圣者、病人、学生和企业的利益。

美国在可能与伊朗在巴基斯坦举行会谈前夕，对伊朗实施更多制裁（列表 1/2）

美国对伊朗的两项航空制裁措施中的第二项扰乱了伊朗的航班，迫使旅客改走陆路出行。

自华盛顿上个月制裁伊朗航空业以来，这项协议缓解了这两个什叶派占多数的邻国之间的联系。

扎伊迪办公室发表声明称，他对“美国政府对伊拉克努力的积极回应以及在给予必要豁免方面的合作”表示欢迎。

“航空旅行不仅仅是两个机场之间的交通运输，更是人们之间沟通的桥梁，”声明补充道。

此外，伊拉克外交部长福阿德·侯赛因表示，航班恢复支持伊拉克与美国之间基于相互尊重的伙伴关系。

侯赛因还对美国理解尊重宗教自由和为朝圣者提供便利的重要性表示欢迎。

在伊朗纳杰夫，安保人员在纳杰夫阿什拉夫国际机场外站岗，示威者聚集在此，要求重新开放该机场，允许来自伊朗的航班起降。[法新社]

美国财政部于9月8日宣布对与伊朗航空业有关的36个实体实施制裁。

由于担心触犯美国制裁，外国地面服务公司拒绝为伊朗飞机提供服务，导致四个伊拉克机场的航班停飞。

随后不久，伊拉克政府与华盛顿举行了直接会谈，寻求豁免。

伊拉克驻德黑兰大使亚西尔·哈贾杰告诉伊朗伊斯兰共和国通讯社（IRNA），巴格达并未下令停飞。据伊朗新闻电视台报道，航班停飞还引发了纳杰夫机场外以及纳西里耶、卡尔巴拉和阿马拉等地的示威活动。

纳杰夫是伊朗航班在伊拉克的主要目的地。往返该市的航班运送伊拉克什叶派穆斯林前往伊朗圣城朝圣，或运送伊朗人前往伊拉克的圣地。

伊朗驻巴格达大使穆罕默德·卡齐姆·萨德格告诉伊朗通讯社ISNA，在禁令实施之前，“每天大约有25个航班从伊朗飞往纳杰夫，大约有15个航班飞往巴格达”。

他补充说：“大约有 12,000 至 13,000 人乘坐伊朗航空公司的航班往返于伊朗和伊拉克之间，这可不是一个小数字。”

伊朗外交部周四发表声明称，华盛顿“非法和不人道”的域外制裁执行正在扰乱伊朗的贸易和航空运输。

据伊拉克通讯社报道，纳杰夫和伊朗之间的航班于周一晚些时候恢复。

然而，巴格达、埃尔比勒和苏莱曼尼亚机场与伊朗的航班仍然暂停，迫使乘客进行至少 12 小时的陆路旅行，扰乱了朝圣者的交通。

半岛电视台尚未向华盛顿的代表核实这一豁免情况。