Iraqi Airways resumed direct flights to Iran on Thursday after a seven-month suspension that began amid the US-Israeli war on Iran in early March, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The national carrier said regular daily flights would operate from Najaf International Airport to Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan.
The resumption followed efforts by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and Transport Minister Wahab Al-Hasani after the necessary regulatory and technical requirements were completed, the airline said.
It added that restoring the routes aims to facilitate passenger travel and expand Iraq’s regional air connections, particularly for religious, medical and educational purposes.
Iraqi Airways launches its first flights from Najaf International Airport to Tehran.
#Iraq_News #International #Tehran https://t.co/NLj237hy5J— Alahad TV-EN (@ahad_en) October 8, 2026
Iraqi Airways suspended its flights to Iran in early March as a precautionary measure following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28. Iraq also closed its airspace as regional military tensions escalated.
Later in September several Iraqi airports, including Baghdad and Najaf, suspended flights to the Islamic Republic. The move came after the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced on September 23rd sanctions on 36 targets connected to Iran’s aviation sector, including 27 Iranian airlines.
The US Treasury also threatened secondary sanctions targeting aviation services linked to the Islamic Republic.
However, flights were then resumed between Najaf and Iranian airports.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)