Iraqi airports halt Iranian flights after new US aviation sanctions

Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, and Sulaimaniyah airports suspend flights as US ramps up pressure on Iran’s aviation sector.Four Iraqi airports have suspended all flights to and from Iran days after the United States announced new aviation sanctions on any global companies doing business with Iranian airlines.It is the latest ramping up of sanctions since the US launched Operation Economic Outcast in August in an effort to isolate Iran from the global economy.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran threatens countries enforcing US airline sanctionslist 2 of 3US aviation sanctions disrupt Iran flights, push travellers overlandlist 3 of 3Why is Iran threatening regional airports, and what could be the impact?end of listIraqi state media said flights will no longer be operating from Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports.Iraq was one of the top destinations for Iranian airlines, especially after Iraqi airlines stopped flying to Iran at the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in February.Passengers travelling between Iran and Iraq will now be forced to make a land journey of at least 12 hours, depending on the destination.Najaf airportIraq’s state news agency reported the suspension at Najaf international airport earlier on Friday.Airport director Hussein Muhanna told the AFP news agency that “all flights were halted between Iran and Najaf airport following a directive from the prime minister’s office to the governor” of Najaf.Iraq and neighbouring Iran are both Shia-majority countries, and flights to and from Najaf carry Iraqi Shia Muslim pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities or Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq.In a post on X, the Iranian Consulate in Najaf responded to the suspension of flights to and from Iran, saying “Najaf international airport, the shrine of the first Imam of the Shia, and the capital of their last Imam, is closed to the largest Shia country in the world?!”