Baghdad has so far maintained its position of barring Iranian airlines from landing at Iraqi airports in compliance with US Treasury sanctions, but Tehran-allied groups are pushing to bring down the government and close Iraq’s land crossings with neighboring countries.
The Iraqi government has also revived the issue of Tehran’s refusal to grant Iraq an exemption allowing its oil exports to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, seeking to counter escalating campaigns and threats by Iran-aligned militias against Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi and their continued pressure to allow Iranian aircraft to land at Iraqi airports, according to sources.
US authorities have issued limited exemptions for Iraqi Airways flights between Iran and Najaf airport only, while the Transport Ministry announced that flights would operate from the Iraqi side.
Ban and International Companies
Although the government has attributed the ban on Iranian flights to international regulations and systems, a former Transport Ministry official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government could adapt those regulations to allow Iranian aircraft to land because Iraq has sovereignty over its airspace.
“The government is relying on international aviation regulations to put forward its position of complying with the US sanctions decision,” the official said.
Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi stressed that “the government did not decide to ban Iranian aviation,” noting that airports operate within an international system similar to the oil sector and are bound by global requirements.
He explained that the international system includes companies providing services such as ground handling, monitoring and insurance, as well as ensuring the safety of airspace and passengers.
Companies operating at Baghdad and Basra airports have a presence at no fewer than 200 airports worldwide, maintain financial accounts and conduct transactions in dollars, prompting them to stop providing services to Iranian companies to avoid US sanctions, al-Aboudi added.
Kataib Hezbollah Threats
Despite the official explanations, armed factions have continued threatening the government since Iranian flights to Iraqi airports were suspended.
Hundreds of faction supporters demonstrated outside Najaf airport on Monday, denouncing the ban and demanding that it be lifted.
Kataib Hezbollah has emerged as one of the most hard-line factions on the issue. Its security official, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, threatened to bring down Zaidi’s government unless the restrictions on Iranian flights were lifted.
“Zaidi and those behind him should know that a government that does not work in the interests of the people will be brought down by all means,” al-Assaf said in a statement.
He warned that if the air restrictions on Iran remained in place after Oct. 1, Iraqis could take a position “that may extend to closing the border crossings of countries participating in the blockade of the Iranian people.”
Firas Elias, a political science professor at the University of Mosul, said the pressure was “not only about aviation and restricting weapons to state control, but about preserving Tehran’s influence and its Iraqi cards at a sensitive moment in negotiations with Washington.”
US Treasury Exemption
Amid escalating Iranian pressure on Baghdad, the US Treasury Department on Tuesday issued a special license allowing Iraqi Airways to conduct transactions normally required to operate passenger services between Iraq and Iran through Najaf airport, subject to specific conditions and restrictions.
The license expires upon completion of the authorized transactions or on Oct. 28, 2026, while the Treasury Department retains the right to revoke or modify it at any time.
Its scope is narrow: flights must depart exclusively from Najaf International Airport and return there, and may carry only Iranian passengers traveling for religious tourism.
It also prohibits bulk cash transfers, shipments intended for Iranian intelligence, military or law enforcement agencies, and sanctioned individuals, including Iranian government officials and members of Iran-aligned militias.
Government-linked sources had previously indicated that Zaidi’s government asked Washington for an exemption to resume some flights between Iraq and Iran, particularly those carrying patients, students and religious pilgrims.
Following the US exemption, Iraq’s Transport Ministry announced that Iraqi Airways had secured authorization to operate flights to Iran, paving the way for their resumption in October. Flights will operate from the Iraqi side and through Najaf only, while the ban on Iranian airlines remains in place.
