Iraq says 40 daily Iranian flights cleared to fly to and from Najaf

Read the original at The Straits Times ↗
The Straits Times · collected 2026-10-02 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

Iraq has allowed 40 daily flights from Iranian airlines, except for Mahan Air, to operate between Najaf and Iran starting October 2. This decision follows a suspension due to US sanctions but includes an exemption granted by the United States specifically for religious pilgrims traveling between the two countries. The Iraqi prime minister's office thanked the U.S. government for its cooperation in issuing this waiver.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

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.

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
7
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 7 hedged
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Correction & hedging signals
59.1
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
6
Politics
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-10-04 · how these are computed

Story

📰 US Exemption For Iraqi Flights
Politics · 6 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Iraq grants Iranian airlines 40 daily Najaf flights after US exemption same event · 100%
Al Jazeera · 0.93 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 11% hedged 2 of 19 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles report on Iraq's decision to allow up to 40 daily Iranian flights to Najaf International Airport, excluding Mahan Air, due to a US sanctions exemption granted on the same date.”
US to grant sanctions waiver for flights between Iran and Iraq's Najaf, source says same event · 95%
The Straits Times · 0.85 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 7% hedged 1 of 14 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the US granting a sanctions waiver that allows flights between Iran and Najaf, Iraq, with Article B providing more detailed specifics on the number of daily flights allowed.”
Iranians stock up on food and medicine as fears of new US fighting grow different event · 95%
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 36 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe different aspects of the relationship between Iran, Iraq, and US sanctions: one focuses on Iranians stockpiling goods due to sanctions, while the other reports on the resumption of flights between Najaf in Iraq and Iran.”
‘Victim’ Iraq balks at sanctioning Iranian airlines ahead of DC talks: ‘We don’t want to be part of this conflict’ different event · 95%
New York Post
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 25 📰 publisher trust 64
“Article A discusses Iraq's reluctance to sanction Iranian airlines, while Article B reports on a decision allowing daily flights between Iran and Najaf airport in Iraq.”
Trump’s Iran crackdown collides with NATO ally seeking access to America’s prized fighter jet different event · 95%
Fox News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 16% hedged 8 of 49 📰 publisher trust 69
“The articles describe different countries' responses to US sanctions on Iranian airlines, with Article A focusing on Turkey and Article B on Iraq's decision to allow flights.”
Iran urges Iraq to lift flight ban amid US sanctions different event · 85%
Al Jazeera
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 21% hedged 3 of 14 📰 publisher trust 60
“While both articles discuss flight restrictions due to US sanctions, Article A covers Iran urging Iraq to lift the ban and condemning US sanctions, while Article B reports on a new decision by Iraq allowing specific flights from Najaf airport.”
Flights between Iraq’s Najaf and Iran resumed as Tehran protests US curbs different event · 60%
Al Jazeera · 0.88 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 15% hedged 2 of 13 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe related events, but Article A focuses on the resumption of flights after a temporary suspension due to US sanctions fears, while Article B specifies details about daily flight allowances and an exemption for religious pilgrims granted by the US Treasury.”

Publisher

The Straits Times · 1905 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)
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The Straits Times
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 1311 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

Iran Iranian Iraq Iraqi Najaf

Subjects

Iraq GPE · 4× Iran GPE · 3× Iranian NORP · 3× Iraqi NORP · 3× Mahan Air ORG · 2× Najaf GPE · 2× Reuters ORG · 2× Muslim NORP · 1× Shi'ite NORP · 1× US Treasury ORG · 1×

Narrative

Iranian airlines excluding Mahan Air are allowed 40 daily flights to and from Iraq's Najaf international airport, the Iraqi prime minister's office said on Friday, following a suspension of flights due to US sanctions.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-04
🔮 Reuters reported earlier this week that the US was set to grant a one-month US Treasury waiver to allow for flights carrying Shi'ite Muslim religious pilgrims between Iran and Iraq •
2026-10-04 · The Straits Times
Iraq says 40 daily Iranian flights cleared to fly to and from Najaf · assertive framing

Claims (7 extracted, 0 hedged)

Iraq says 40 daily Iranian flights cleared to fly to and from Najaf Oct 2 - asserted
flights → say → Najaf
Iranian airlines excluding Mahan Air are allowed 40 daily flights to and from Iraq's Najaf international airport, the Iraqi prime minister's office said on Friday, following a suspension of flights due to US sanctions. asserted
office → exclude → sanctions
Iraq had halted flights to and from Iran last week, in line with US sanctions • asserted
Iraq → halt → sanctions
Reuters reported earlier this week that the US was set to grant a one-month US Treasury waiver to allow for flights carrying Shi'ite Muslim religious pilgrims between Iran and Iraq • asserted
US → report → Iran
The Iraqi government had sought exemptions for travel related to pilgrimage, medical treatment and education • asserted
government → seek → pilgrimage
"The Prime Minister appreciates the positive response shown by the US government to Iraqi efforts and its cooperation in granting the requested exemption," the statement said • asserted
statement → appreciate → exemption
The US accuses Iranian carrier Mahan Air of transporting Iran's Revolutionary Guards personnel, as well as weapons and drones. asserted
US → accuse → personnel
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