ERBIL () - A public contradiction emerged on Monday between Iraq's ambassador and Iran's aviation authority over the resumption of flights between the two neighboring countries, with Iraq's ambassador declaring that Najaf International Airport will reopen to Iranian flights within less than 24 hours, while the Iranian side denied receiving any formal document from Baghdad confirming the resumption.
Yasser Abdul Zahra Hajaj, Iraq's ambassador, told the Iraqi official news agency WAA on Monday that the Iraqi government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has intensified its diplomatic and administrative efforts to restore normal air travel between the two neighboring countries.
On the reason flights were suspended in the first place, the ambassador clarified that no formal decision was ever issued by the Iraqi government to suspend flights with Iran. Instead, foreign ground service companies operating at Iraqi airports voluntarily withdrew from servicing Iranian aircraft out of fear of US sanctions, creating a de facto suspension without any government directive behind it.
The ambassador concluded by stressing that the obstacles are in the process of being overcome and that Najaf International Airport will once again open its doors to Iranian aircraft and flights within less than 24 hours.
However, the Iranian side presented a different picture simultaneously. Abouzar Shirudi, head of Iran's aviation organization, told Iranian media that no formal document regarding the resumption of flights had yet been received from Baghdad. He said dialogue and negotiations with the Iraqi side are continuing and called on Iranian citizens to verify the actual status of flights before purchasing tickets.
The contradiction between the Iraqi ambassador's 24-hour timeline and the Iranian aviation authority's denial of having received any formal documentation reflects the complexity of the situation on the ground, where the suspension was not created by a government decision and therefore cannot be reversed by one either. The core obstacle, that foreign ground service companies withdrew their services under threat of US dollar system exclusion, remains unresolved regardless of what either government announces publicly.
Beyond Iraq, other countries including the UAE, Oman, Georgia, and Azerbaijan have also suspended their flights with Iran following the US tightening of sanctions on Iran's aviation sector and Washington's warning that airports and ground service providers servicing Iranian aircraft will face American sanctions. The regional flight suspension pattern reflects the global reach of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's September 22 announcement that any entity providing fuel, landing services, or ticketing to Iranian aircraft will be excluded from the US dollar system.
The flight suspension has created immediate humanitarian consequences, with more than 1,000 Iraqi and Kurdistan Region citizens stranded in Tehran unable to return home, as Mahan Air's Iraq and Kurdistan Region director Sarsang Mahmoud confirmed exclusively to on Saturday, including over 300 from the Kurdistan Region, many of whom are ill or recovering from surgery and cannot travel by road or bus.
