US sanctions waiver lets Iranian airlines resume up to 40 daily flights to Najaf

Exemption details

Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi announced a narrow exemption from US sanctions that allows Iranian airlines to resume up to 40 daily flights to Najaf International Airport, while excluding Mahan Air. The US also granted Iraqi Airways a waiver to fly between Najaf and Iran, with those flights expected to start this month.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that starting 23 September any company that serviced Iranian aircraft would be cut off from the dollar system, and the Treasury had sanctioned 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector on 8 September as part of Operation Economic Outcast.

First flight after waiver

Najaf International Airport received the first direct flight from Tehran on 4 October, operated by Caspian Airlines and landing at 5:15 pm (1415 GMT). The flight marked the official resumption of air travel between Iran and Iraq following the US waiver.

Pre‑ban traffic levels

Before the sanctions ban, roughly 25 Iranian flights a day landed in Najaf and about 15 in Baghdad, carrying between 12,000 and 13,000 passengers daily on Iranian airlines between the two countries.