Iraq’s Najaf airport, a top destination for Shiite Muslims, suspended all Iranian flights Friday, enforcing U.S. sanctions, the airport director told the AFP news agency.
Airport director Hussein Muhanna said “all flights were halted between Iran and Najaf airport following a directive from the prime minister’s office to the governor” of Najaf.
The airport in the holy city south of Baghdad is a major hub for Iranian flights.They carry many Iraqi Shiite pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities and Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq. The flights also serve Iraqi students studying in Iran, and patients seeking medical treatment there.
The bond between Iraq and neighboring Iran, both Shiite-majority nations, runs deep and is shaped by both religion and politics.
Iranian airline flights were suspended at Najaf’s airport early Thursday morning, the airport director said.
Several sources, including a senior government official, told AFP earlier this week that Iraq would enforce the U.S. ban on Iranian airlines, joining several other countries in the region, including the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said Iranian airlines would “shut down” Wednesday, and he threatened countries that did not comply with expulsion from the U.S. dollar system.
Although land routes are available, Iraq remains one of the top destinations for Iranian airlines, especially after Iraqi airlines stopped flying to Iran at the start of the Iran war in February.
CBS/AFP