Erbil and Sulaymaniyah Also Suspend Iranian Flights: All Four Iraqi Airports Closed to Iranian Airlines

The airports of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah have suspended Iranian flights, two sources told Reuters. With this decision, flights to and from Iran are now suspended at all four Iraqi airports where they operated: Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

An Iran Air aircraft — Washington aims to ground Iran’s civilian fleet worldwide

Iraq’s state news agency reported the suspension at Najaf International Airport, which announced it had frozen all flights to and from Iran as of 2:00 a.m. on Friday, until further notice.

Two sources had told Reuters earlier in the week that Iraq had ordered the civil aviation authority to halt Iranian flights to Baghdad airport starting Wednesday. According to the sources, the government was also discussing diverting Iranian flights from Baghdad to Najaf — a plan that now appears moot, since Najaf has closed too.

The measure comes after Washington announced it would sanction any global company doing business with Iranian airlines after September 23, aiming to ground Iran’s entire civilian fleet worldwide. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had declared that Iranian airlines would be “shut down.”

Flights between the two countries serve mainly pilgrims, students and patients seeking medical treatment. For Iran, Iraq remains one of the main destinations for its airlines, especially since Iraqi airlines halted flights to Iran at the start of the war in February.

Source: Al Jazeera