ERBIL () - Najaf International Airport has suspended all inbound and outbound flights with Iran until further notice, following instructions from what airport management described as the relevant authorities.
An urgent official letter addressed to terminal managers and airlines said the suspension took effect at 2 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. The airport did not identify the authority behind the order or give a reason for the decision.
Airport management instructed airlines and other operators not to take any operational steps related to flights between Najaf and Iran while the suspension remains in force. It said any change, including the resumption of services, would be announced officially.
The decision had an immediate effect on Iranian carriers using Najaf. Airport management prevented passengers from boarding a Mahan Air aircraft and required the plane to return empty to Mashhad.
Najaf is a major destination for Iranian travelers, particularly religious pilgrims visiting the city's Shiite holy sites. The suspension therefore affects one of the principal air links between Iraq and Iran at a time when Iranian airlines are facing growing restrictions across the region.
The airport's notice did not link the decision to U.S. sanctions. However, it comes after Washington expanded sanctions on Iran's aviation sector earlier this month and warned foreign companies about providing services to designated Iranian airlines.
On Sept. 8, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions on 36 targets connected to Iran's aviation sector, including 27 Iranian airlines. Treasury said the action was part of "Operation Economic Outcast,"its campaign to increase financial pressure on Tehran.
Washington alleges that parts of Iran's commercial aviation network have been used to transport weapons, personnel and illicit cargo. The Treasury action also targeted foreign intermediaries and service providers accused of assisting sanctioned carriers, including companies linked to Mahan Air.
Mahan Air has been under U.S. counterterrorism sanctions since 2011 over what Washington says is its support for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. The U.S. State Department later designated the airline under authorities targeting weapons proliferation and its supporters.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned when the latest measures were announced that companies continuing to support sanctioned Iranian airlines could face exclusion from the global financial system.
Associated Press reporter Farnoush Amiri wrote on Sept. 8 that the measures formed part of a wider U.S. effort to isolate Iran's aviation sector, which has already been subject to years of international restrictions. Her report also cited Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticizing Washington's sanctions policy and arguing that previous pressure had failed to achieve U.S. objectives.
The impact has since spread to several international routes. AFP reported this week that Iranian airlines had cancelled some flights as restrictions took effect, including services involving Baghdad, Muscat, Georgia and Azerbaijan, while other international routes continued to operate.
Najaf had initially remained an alternative for some Iraq-bound flights. Iranian aviation authorities said earlier this week that they were discussing redirecting flights intended for Baghdad to Najaf after services to the Iraqi capital were disrupted.
AFP reported on Wednesday that Iranian flights to Najaf were still operating and cited a source at the airport as saying that no instruction had yet been received to halt them. Friday's directive changes that situation, suspending both arrivals and departures between Najaf and Iran until further notice.
Other countries have also imposed restrictions. The United Arab Emirates announced this week that it was suspending flights operated by Iranian airlines, citing U.S. sanctions, while Iranian officials said diplomatic and aviation talks were underway in an effort to restore affected services.
The widening restrictions have created uncertainty for passengers and travel companies, especially in Iraq, where air traffic with Iran is closely tied to pilgrimage and commercial travel.
Najaf International Airport has not announced a timetable for restoring flights. Its official notice said airlines and airport authorities would be informed of any new instructions regarding the resumption of services.
