Iraqi Airways resumes Najaf‑Iran flights amid US sanctions dispute

Iraqi Airways has restarted commercial flights between Najaf and Iranian airports, the state‑run Iraqi News Agency reported.

The service resumed on Monday after Najaf and three other Iraqi airports had temporarily halted flights over concerns that United States secondary sanctions could affect aviation services linked to Tehran.

Tehran has lodged a complaint with the United Nations and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) over the US measures, which came into force on 23 September and target foreign airports and companies that service sanctioned Iranian carriers.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation chief Abuzar Shiroudi told IRNA that coordinated efforts with the Foreign Ministry are under way to legally restore the routes, and that the ICAO had ruled in Iran’s favour on its protest.

Shiroudi also said Tehran has filed a case with the International Court of Justice in The Hague concerning attacks on airports, aircraft and radar systems, though the court’s decision is still pending.

Despite the sanctions, Iran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport reports that flights to East Asia continue without cancellations, while airports in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Oman and the UAE have recently suspended Iranian airline services.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Nikola Vu / Pexels.