Iraq is negotiating with the United States to exempt some of its airports from recent US sanctions targeting Iranian airlines. Four Iraqi airports halted flights to Iran following the sanctions announcement. Baghdad seeks exemptions for humanitarian reasons such as medical treatment, education, and religious visits. The move has disrupted travel between the two countries, straining relations given their shared Shia Muslim heritage and extensive cultural ties.
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 23, 2026, the U.S. announced sanctions against Iranian airlines, disrupting travel between Iran and Iraq. Four major Iraqi airports halted all flights to and from Iran in compliance with these sanctions. This action significantly impacted Shia pilgrims traveling for religious visits, students studying across borders, and patients seeking medical treatment.
In response, Iraq began direct talks with the U.S., requesting exemptions that would allow humanitarian flights, including those for medical treatment and education, to resume. The Iraqi government emphasized the importance of these travel routes due to cultural ties between Shia-majority countries.
On September 28, sources close to President Donald Trump's administration indicated a limited waiver would be granted for flights specifically carrying religious pilgrims between Iran and Iraq’s Najaf city for one month. Following this announcement, commercial flights resumed on Monday at the Najaf airport, allowing up to 40 daily Iranian flights excluding Mahan Air.
Iraqi officials stated that this move appreciates U.S. cooperation in addressing Iraqi needs while also facilitating communication links between the two nations. Additionally, Iran's ambassador highlighted that roughly 12,000 to 13,000 people travel daily via these airlines, underscoring the significant impact of the suspension on both countries' populations.
Written for “US Exemption For Iraqi Flights” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Iraq is in direct talks with Washington as it seeks to exempt some of its airports from United States measures targeting Iranian airline flights in the region.
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it → seek → region
Four Iraqi airports suspended all flights to and from Iran on Friday, days after Washington announced new aviation sanctions on any global company doing business with Iranian airlines.
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prices → suspend → economy
The Iraqi prime minister’s office said on Saturday that US exemptions for Baghdad would allow flights to resume “on humanitarian grounds related to medical treatment, education, religious visits, and the interests of civilians”.
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flights → say → civilians
The statement by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s media office added that Baghdad was working to de-escalate regional tensions, warning that “the continuation of crises further complicates the situation”.
It called on all parties to pursue dialogue and negotiations to end the current crisis and conflicts in the interests of the region’s countries and peoples.
With Iran flights halted at airports in Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, passengers have now been forced onto land journeys of at least 12 hours.
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passengers → add → hours
Neighbours Iraq and Iran are both Shia-majority countries, and flights to and from Najaf in particular carry Iraqi Shia Muslim pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities or Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq.
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flights → carry → Iraq
Iraq ‘squeezed between’ US and Iran
On Saturday, a large number of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Baghdad in opposition to the flight suspensions, in a protest organised by Iran-allied Iraqi militias.
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number → squeeze → militias
Dozens of scholars and students from the Hawza of Najaf, the oldest and most influential Shia seminary in the world, held a vigil on Saturday evening against the suspension of Iranian flights to Iraq, Shafaq News reported.
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News → hold → Iraq
Reading out a statement, the seminary’s Scholarly Assembly condemned the halt of flights, saying it came when “the peoples of the region are most in need of strengthening the bonds of brotherhood”, and urged the government to “maintain the independence and sovereignty of Iraqi decision-making”.
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peoples → read → making
Iraq’s ambassador to Tehran, Yasser al-Hajjaj, said that the suspension of flights between the two countries would be temporary and not affect relations.
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suspension → say → relations
Speaking to Iraq’s state news agency, he said Baghdad was in contact with Iranian authorities to restore normal air traffic as soon as possible.
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Baghdad → speak → traffic
Iraqi-Iranian ties are “too deep to be affected by a temporary crisis”, he said, pointing to about 100,000 Iraqi students at Iranian institutions, an Iraqi community of hundreds of thousands living in Iran, and thousands of daily crossings.
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he → affect → crossings
Separately, the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh, said officials from the two countries are in contact and a new decision on flights is likely to be announced soon, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported.
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agency → say → flights
“Iraq is in a difficult situation, allied both to America and to Iran.
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Iraq → ally → Iran
At times like this, it is squeezed between the two,” said Al Jazeera’s Jack Hewson, reporting from Baghdad.
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Hewson → squeeze → Baghdad
“Some blame Iran for this, feeling that Iran is too controlling of Iraq.
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Iran → blame → Iraq
Others blame the US and Israel for having started the war in the first place,” he added.
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he → blame → place
“Either way, Iraq remains in a very delicate position between all of these larger and more powerful states, continuing to suffer economic consequences and the fallout itself.”
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Iraq → remain → consequences
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