Four Iraqi airports—Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, and Sulaimaniyah—have stopped flights from Iran following new U.S. sanctions targeting companies that conduct business with Iranian airlines. This move comes days after the United States announced sanctions as part of Operation Economic Outcast, aimed at isolating Iran economically. The sanctions have forced passengers traveling between Iraq and Iran to take lengthy overland routes instead of flights.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 21, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that starting from September 23, Iranian airlines would be unable to function globally due to American sanctions. This announcement came seven months into the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes in February that killed Iran's supreme leader and senior military officials.
The sanctions will prohibit any country or company from providing services such as fueling, landing rights, or ticket sales to Iranian airlines; violators face expulsion from the dollar system. In response, Iraq has suspended all flights by Iranian carriers starting at midnight on September 23, affecting airports in Baghdad and Najaf. Other countries like Georgia have also banned Iranian flights.
Iran's aviation industry, already under significant sanctions pressure for years, is now facing a near-complete shutdown as the conflict escalates. Tehran has warned that it might retaliate against non-compliant nations, threatening regional aviation stability if its airlines are further restricted from accessing airports globally.
Written for “US Sanctions On Iran Airlines” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
Four Iraqi airports have suspended all flights to and from Iran days after the United States announced new aviation sanctions on any global companies doing business with Iranian airlines.
asserted
States → suspend → airlines
It is the latest ramping up of sanctions since the US launched Operation Economic Outcast in August in an effort to isolate Iran from the global economy.
asserted
US → launch → economy
Recommended Stories
list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Iran threatens countries enforcing US airline sanctions
- list 2 of 3US aviation sanctions disrupt Iran flights, push travellers overland
- list 3 of 3Why
asserted
sanctions → threaten → travellers
is Iran threatening regional airports, and what could be the impact?
uncertain
what → threaten → airports
Iraqi state media said flights will no longer be operating from Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports.
asserted
flights → say → airports
Iraq was one of the top destinations for Iranian airlines, especially after Iraqi airlines stopped flying to Iran at the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in February.
asserted
airlines → stop → February
Passengers travelling between Iran and Iraq will now be forced to make a land journey of at least 12 hours, depending on the destination.
asserted
Passengers → travel → destination
Najaf airport
Iraq’s state news agency reported the suspension at Najaf international airport earlier on Friday.
asserted
agency → report → Friday
Airport director Hussein Muhanna told the AFP news agency that “all flights were halted between Iran and Najaf airport following a directive from the prime minister’s office to the governor” of Najaf.
asserted
flights → tell → Najaf
Iraq and neighbouring Iran are both Shia-majority countries, and flights to and from Najaf carry Iraqi Shia Muslim pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities or Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq.
asserted
flights → neighbour → Iraq
In a post on X, the Iranian Consulate in Najaf responded to the suspension of flights to and from Iran, saying “Najaf international airport, the shrine of the first Imam of the Shia, and the capital of their last Imam, is closed to the largest Shia country in the world?!”
asserted
airport → respond → world
An Iraqi employee of an Iranian airline at Najaf airport told AFP Iranian carriers usually operate at least 20 daily flights, but after the suspension, only four flights to other destinations remained scheduled on Friday.
asserted
flights → tell → Friday
Several other regional countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, have either cancelled or restricted flights to Iran to enforce US aviation sanctions.
asserted
countries → include → sanctions
That is despite the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council warning neighbouring nations against imposing a US flight ban.
asserted
secretary → warn → ban
Iranian airlines are now relying on a few reduced routes, including Turkiye, Russia, China and Armenia, to remain operational.
asserted
airlines → rely → Turkiye
“We cannot say that Iran is totally cut off from air traffic, but shrunk considerably,” said Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Tehran.
asserted
Koseoglu → say → Tehran
Reporting from Baghdad, Al Jazeera’s Jack Hewson said Iraq’s central government has made no statement about the flight suspensions, likely because it “doesn’t want to antagonise” pro-Iranian factions in Iraq’s parliament.
asserted
it → report → parliament
Explaining the country’s decision to comply with the US move, Hewson said: “Companies providing ground services, like refuelling, baggage, it appears, are not willing to risk secondary sanctions and being frozen out of the international US dollar system.”
“Iraq’s in a very difficult position,” Hewson added.
asserted
Hewson → explain → position
“It’s tied to the US, but it’s also tied to Iran.
asserted
it → tie → Iran
And at times like these, it’s squeezed between the two.”
asserted
it → squeeze → two
The Aporia
