Iraq seeks U.S. sanctions waiver for flights to Iran

The Iraqi government is holding “direct dialogue with the American side” to exempt several of the country’s airports from the new U.S. Treasury Department policy, which threatens sanctions on airports that receive or assist Iranian flights — Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s office announced today.

According to the statement, the talks aim to secure a waiver “so as to allow the resumption of air travel, for humanitarian reasons related to medical treatment, studies, religious visits and civilian interests.”

The move comes after Iraqi airports suspended flights to Iran this week, following new U.S. aviation sanctions — a development that affected thousands of passengers and prompted warnings from Tehran, as Al Jazeera reports.

“As the Iraqi government works to reduce tensions in the region, it stresses that continued crises further complicate the situation and calls on all parties to engage in dialogue and negotiations,” the statement says.

Iraq finds itself in a difficult position: it is a close ally of both Washington and Tehran, while its territory has often become an arena of clashes between the two sides — from attacks on U.S. bases to Iranian strikes on Kurdish opposition bases in Iraq.