Iraq is in direct talks with the United States to secure exemptions from recent US sanctions and allow Iranian flights to resume at some airports for medical treatment, education and religious visits, the prime minister’s office said Saturday.
Iran announced regional flight cancellations earlier in the week amid the sanctions. Iranian sources said airports in Baghdad and Muscat stopped accepting flights Wednesday; Najaf airport announced Friday that flights to and from Iran were halted “until further notice,” Iraq’s state news agency INA reported.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said all Iranian airlines would be grounded worldwide from Wednesday. He also threatened countries with exclusion from the US dollar system if they fuelled Iranian airlines, provided ground services or sold tickets on their behalf.
