Iraqi Airways will resume flights to and from Iran in October, the Iraqi Transport Ministry said on Tuesday, days after Baghdad halted them under pressure from a wave of US sanctions.
Iraq had not officially announced the ban imposed on Friday but ground-handling companies stopped serving the routes, fearing sanctions being imposed by the US Treasury.
The US has granted Iraqi Airways a sanctions waiver for flights between Najaf International Airport and Iranian airports, the ministry said in a statement. Iraqi Airways suspended flights to Iran in early March shortly after the outbreak of the Iran war.
There was no confirmation from Washington on the waiver. The National reached out to the US Treasury for comment.
With fighting escalating in Yemen, ceasefire efforts stalled and direct US-Iranian fire easing, Washington has shifted to increase economic pressure through secondary sanctions on foreign companies that conduct business with Iranian firms.
The sanctions are part of the US campaign to isolate Iran economically and force concessions in negotiations to end the war. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday companies that dealt with Iranian airlines would be “knocked out of the dollar system”.
The ban on Iranian flights to Iraq angered Iran-aligned factions and political parties. Militias and politicians staged protests and threatened sit-ins at Iraqi airports unless flights resumed. Kataib Hezbollah urged Iraqis to break what it called the “US siege” on Iran, while Al Nujaba described the suspension as “submission” to Washington and accused Baghdad of letting the US dictate its Iran policy.
Iranian airlines were banned from neighbouring countries including the UAE, Oman and Iraq in response to new US sanctions. A prolonged flight ban could deepen Iran's isolation and worsen an economic crisis already aggravated by a US blockade of its ports.
Iran has also pushed back on the wider restrictions. Iranian officials warned that if Iran is denied flights and airport services, no country in the region would have them either.
