Iraq's Ambassador to Tehran: Najaf Airport Opens Doors to Iranian Flights

Iraq's Ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdul Zahra, stated that Najaf Airport will open its doors to Iranian flights within 24 hours, days after announcing its closure due to tightened US sanctions against Tehran.

The Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted the ambassador as saying that "the Iraqi government, led by Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, is making continuous efforts to resume air travel between the neighboring countries of Iraq and Iran."

He added that "no decision was issued by the government to halt flights with Iran; rather, foreign ground service companies refrained from providing their services out of fear of US sanctions."

He continued by confirming that "Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf Airport will open its doors to Iranian flights within 24 hours."

The airport administration had issued a statement on Friday saying: "It has been decided to suspend all incoming and outgoing flights to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, starting at 02:00 on Friday, September 25, 2026, until further notice."

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority announced on Thursday the suspension of Iranian airline flights to and from the country, effective Thursday, in compliance with the US ban imposed on those airlines, according to the official Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The authority stated that "flights by Iranian airlines to and from the country have been suspended, effective today (Thursday), September 24, until further notice."