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Iraq's national carrier has resumed commercial service between the central province of Najaf and airports in Iran, according to a report from the state-run Iraqi News Agency, marking a partial return to normalcy after a wave of cancellations triggered by American sanctions targeting Tehran's aviation sector.
The flights restarted on Monday, the agency reported, following a brief suspension at Najaf and three other Iraqi airports. Those halts were driven not by Baghdad's own policy but by fears among international ground-handling contractors that servicing Iran-linked flights could expose them to secondary penalties from Washington.
That dynamic illustrates how US sanctions can ripple far beyond their intended target, effectively forcing third-country businesses to choose between maintaining commercial relationships with Iran and preserving access to the American financial and aviation markets. In this case, the pressure initially worked, grounding flights and stranding travellers, before Iraqi Airways found a way to work around the obstacle.
The resumption allows Iraq's flag carrier to sidestep the standoff with foreign contractors, whose reluctance to provide handling services had paralyzed operations on routes connected to Tehran. Iraqi Airways has not disclosed the specific arrangements that made the restart possible, but the move suggests Baghdad is seeking to keep its aviation links with its neighbour open even as the sanctions regime tightens.
The dispute stems from US measures against Iranian airlines that took effect on September 23. Under the new rules, foreign airports and companies that provide services to sanctioned Iranian carriers risk being cut off from the US market themselves, a powerful deterrent known as secondary sanctions.
Iran has responded on multiple legal fronts. Earlier on Monday, Tehran lodged a formal complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), according to Iran's official IRNA news agency. Abuzar Shiroudi, who heads Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation, told the agency that Iranian authorities are coordinating with the Foreign Ministry on a strategy to restore flight operations through legal channels.
Shiroudi claimed that the ICAO has already ruled in Iran's favour in connection with Tehran's formal protest over the American aviation sanctions. That assertion, which would represent a significant if largely symbolic victory for Iran, could not be independently verified from the source material, and the ICAO has not publicly confirmed such a determination.
Beyond the ICAO process, Shiroudi said Tehran has filed a separate complaint at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, focusing on attacks against Iranian airports, aircraft and radar systems. That case remains under review, he noted, and any prospect of compensation would depend on the court's final judgment, a process that could take years to conclude.
The Iranian aviation chief also said his government is pressing several countries through diplomatic channels for explanations regarding routes that have been suspended. The comments suggest Tehran is pursuing a dual-track approach: public legal action meant to marshal international opinion, alongside quieter negotiations aimed at restoring specific flight corridors.
The sanctions have not shut down Iranian aviation entirely. According to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, the chief executive of Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport said flights to East Asia are continuing without cancellations, indicating that some carriers and jurisdictions remain willing to maintain service despite the US measures.
Nevertheless, the disruption has been broad. Airports in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Oman and the United Arab Emirates have recently cancelled flights operated by Iranian airlines, reflecting the wide geographic reach of Washington's pressure campaign. For travellers, the cancellations have meant cancelled plans, costly rebookings and, in some cases, arduous overland journeys.
For Iraq, the episode poses a delicate balancing act. Baghdad maintains close political and economic ties with Tehran while also depending on its relationship with Washington, and it has sought exemptions from the flight ban. The Najaf route carries particular significance because the city is a major destination for Shia pilgrims, many of them Iranian, giving the flight corridor religious and commercial importance beyond routine travel.
The restart in Najaf therefore carries weight as more than a scheduling detail. It signals that at least one link in the region's aviation network has been restored despite the sanctions architecture, and it offers a template that other airports and carriers may study as they weigh the risks of continued engagement with Iran.
Still, the broader standoff remains unresolved. Iran's complaints at the ICAO and the ICJ are likely to unfold slowly, and the United States has shown no indication of retreating from its aviation measures. The coming weeks will reveal whether the Najaf resumption proves an isolated workaround or the beginning of a wider normalization of regional air links with Iran.
For now, the situation remains fluid. Iraqi Airways has restored one route, Iran has escalated its legal challenges, and several neighbouring states continue to enforce cancellations. The outcome will depend less on technical aviation questions than on the diplomatic and legal contest between Washington and Tehran, played out across the airports and courtrooms that connect them.
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