Photo via Times of India

Iraq suspends Iranian flights to Baghdad after US sanctions threat: Report

Read the original at Times of India ↗
Cite

Yadav, K. (2026, September 23). Iraq suspends Iranian flights to Baghdad after US sanctions threat: Report. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/iraq-suspends-iranian-flights-to-baghdad-after-us-sanctions-threat-report/articleshow/134424206.cms

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Times of India · collected 2026-09-23 · by Kanchan Yadav

Quick Summary

Iraq has instructed its civil aviation authority to halt Iranian flights to Baghdad airport starting Wednesday, following a US threat of secondary sanctions against entities that continue to service Iranian carriers. Reuters reported this development citing unnamed sources. The suspension coincides with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's statement on CNBC warning that providing services like fuel and landing rights to Iranian airlines could result in exclusion from the dollar system if not adhered to by September 23. This move is part of broader US sanctions targeting Iran's aviation sector amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Written by AI on 2026-09-23, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 21, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that starting from September 23, Iranian airlines would be unable to function globally due to American sanctions. This announcement came seven months into the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes in February that killed Iran's supreme leader and senior military officials.

The sanctions will prohibit any country or company from providing services such as fueling, landing rights, or ticket sales to Iranian airlines; violators face expulsion from the dollar system. In response, Iraq has suspended all flights by Iranian carriers starting at midnight on September 23, affecting airports in Baghdad and Najaf. Other countries like Georgia have also banned Iranian flights.

Iran's aviation industry, already under significant sanctions pressure for years, is now facing a near-complete shutdown as the conflict escalates. Tehran has warned that it might retaliate against non-compliant nations, threatening regional aviation stability if its airlines are further restricted from accessing airports globally.

Written for “US Sanctions On Iran Airlines” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 US Sanctions On Iran Airlines
Politics · 7 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Iraqi airports halt Iranian flights after new US aviation sanctions Same event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 60/100
Iran threatens widespread disruption as Iraq halts Iran flights Same event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
US Treasury chief says Iran airlines to be ‘shut down’ on Sept 23 Same event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 0 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
Iran flights to Baghdad, Muscat cancelled ahead of US aviation sanctions Same event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 60/100
Iran airlines cancel flights as U.S. sanctions hit Same event
National Post
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 4 of 23 claims Outlet record 60/100
UAE bars Iranian airlines as US sanctions squeeze Iran’s aviation sector Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different countries (Iraq and UAE) taking actions against Iranian flights on separate days following US sanctions threats.”
Iraq seeks exemption from U.S. ban on Iran airlines Different event
The Hindu
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different phases of a situation involving US sanctions against Iranian airlines and Iraq's response, rather than the same specific incident.”
U.S. Treasury chief says Iran airlines to be ‘shut down’ on September 23 Different event
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 0 of 10 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes the U.S. Treasury Secretary's announcement about shutting down Iranian airlines globally, while Article B reports on Iraq suspending Iranian flights to Baghdad as a response to the sanctions threat, which is a different but related action.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
2 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
Times of India's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
7
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Times of India · 3827 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-05
NASA spacecraft gains 3.5 km/s speed from Earth’s gravity assist without major engine burn
2026-10-04
Tennessee prison chief Frank Strada resigns after Christa Pike's botched execution

Who wrote this

Kanchan Yadav
23 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Direct Polls projected 55 seats for Netanyahu's bloc, 49 for the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot and 16 for Arab parties, ANI reported.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Israel elections 'stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism': Netanyahu
🔮 “We obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity with Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury,” Trump said, referring to US military operations in 2025 and between February and May this year. “We defeated them militarily, financially, and otherwise.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Trump says he needs to 'stop killing Iranian leaders' to find someone to negotiate with
🔮 It was the same spot where he announced on October 11 that he would undergo an operation to remove a small growth from his lung, marking the first major health scare of his papacy.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Pope Leo urges end to Yemen violence after lung cancer surgery
🔮 Four members of the man’s family, aged between four and 72, were treated and were expected to survive, the Associated Press reported.
2026-10-11 · assertive framing · Hurricane Isaias kills 4 in US, leaves hundreds of thousands without power - video
🔮 US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, while acknowledging that he remains unsure whether the Norwegian Nobel Committee will select him for the 2026 award.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · 'Not bragging': Trump makes fresh pitch for Nobel Peace Prize, citing '8 settled wars'
🔮 He then compared the alleged election results with the US electoral process, writing, “In Detroit, Philadelphia, California, and numerous other US Cities and States, the results, with much smaller numbers, will often take weeks to Rig, I mean, calculate.
2026-10-05 · assertive framing · Presidential election today? Trump confuses India with Brazil, claims 125 million voted
🔮 The group is part of around 5,000 Myanmar nationals who are expected to be repatriated from Malaysia in stages.
2026-10-05 · assertive framing · Sent back to war zone? 1,500 migrants arrive in Myanmar from Malaysia despite UN safety warning
🔮 Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott condemned the shooting and said a dispute between two adults had resulted in the death of a child.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · Baltimore shooting: 12-year-old girl killed in crossfire after parking dispute
🔮 HAF said the incident could be a hate crime and urged authorities to prioritise identifying those responsible.
2026-10-03 · assertive framing · Hindu temple hit with bricks in US; Hindu groups demand swift action
🔮 US Vice President JD Vance has called the H-1B visa programme “completely broken” and said he would support scrapping it, accusing companies of using the system to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign employees.
2026-10-02 · assertive framing · 'H-1B programme is completely broken': JD Vance backs scrapping visa system
Also by Kanchan Yadav
California Halloween store shooting leaves one dead, six injured; suspect on loose
2026-10-31 · Times of India
Israel elections 'stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism': Netanyahu
2026-10-28 · Times of India
Trump says he needs to 'stop killing Iranian leaders' to find someone to negotiate with
2026-10-25 · Times of India
Pope Leo urges end to Yemen violence after lung cancer surgery
2026-10-25 · Times of India
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 23 articles by Kanchan Yadav →

Topics

Baghdad Iran Iranian Tehran Washington

Subjects

Iranian NORP · 8× Iran GPE · 6× Washington GPE · 4× Baghdad GPE · 3× Tehran GPE · 3× Bessent PERSON · 2× ISNA ORG · 2× Istanbul GPE · 2× Oman ORG · 2× the United States GPE · 2×

Narrative

The move comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that all Iranian airlines would be shut down from September 23 through the threat of secondary sanctions against aviation service providers, seven months into the war between the United States and Iran.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-23
🔮 The suspension will begin at midnight on Wednesday, the sources said.
2026-09-23 · Times of India
Iraq suspends Iranian flights to Baghdad after US sanctions threat: Report · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 2 hedged)

Iraq has ordered its civil aviation authority to suspend Iranian flights to Baghdad airport from Wednesday, Reuters reported citing sources. asserted
Reuters → order → sources
This comes after US threatened secondary sanctions against airports and service providers that continue to handle Iranian carriers. asserted
that → come → carriers
The suspension will begin at midnight on Wednesday, the sources said. asserted
sources → begin → Wednesday
The Iraqi government is also discussing diverting Iranian Airways flights from Baghdad to Najaf airport, they added. asserted
they → discuss → airport
The move comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that all Iranian airlines would be shut down from September 23 through the threat of secondary sanctions against aviation service providers, seven months into the war between the United States and Iran. asserted
airlines → come → States
Bessent told CNBC that airports and other companies servicing Iranian airlines could face severe consequences. uncertain
airports → tell → consequences
"When Iranian airlines land at an airport, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system," Bessent said. asserted
Bessent → land → system
Iranian news agency Tasnim said earlier, citing the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization, that flights from Tehran to Baghdad and Muscat had been cancelled from Wednesday. asserted
flights → say → Wednesday
It said other international flights, including those to Istanbul, would continue to operate according to schedule. uncertain
flights → say → schedule
"Iranian travelers are not currently being admitted at the airport in Oman, and consultations regarding this matter are ongoing," a spokesperson for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization told Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency. asserted
spokesperson → admit → agency
ISNA also reported that negotiations with Oman were ongoing and that other international flights, including those to Istanbul, would operate as scheduled. asserted
flights → report → Istanbul
The latest disruptions follow Washington's expanding sanctions campaign against Tehran. asserted
disruptions → follow → Tehran
The United States has recently tightened restrictions targeting Iranian trade, energy and financial sectors, while also expanding secondary sanctions against foreign companies doing business with Iran. asserted
States → tighten → Iran
Tehran has nevertheless signalled that it remains open to talks mediated by Qatar aimed at finding a long-term resolution to the conflict, while maintaining a tough stance towards Washington. asserted
it → signal → Washington
“It is in Washington’s interest to accept these conditions,” Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei told Al Jazeera in an interview last week. asserted
chief → accept → interview
“Trump’s threats will not achieve any results. asserted
threats → achieve → results
We are prepared for a decisive war,” he added. asserted
he → prepare → war
The latest flight restrictions add to the growing pressure on Iran's international air links as Washington seeks to isolate the country's airlines through sanctions and restrictions on the services they rely on. asserted
they → add → services
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 1 Nov 2026