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Iraqi airports halt Iranian flights after new US aviation sanctions

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Al Jazeera Staff. (2026, September 25). Iraqi airports halt Iranian flights after new US aviation sanctions. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/25/iraqi-airports-halt-iranian-flights-after-new-us-aviation-sanctions?traffic_source=rss

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

Al Jazeera · collected 2026-09-25 · by Al Jazeera Staff

Quick Summary

Four Iraqi airports—Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, and Sulaimaniyah—have stopped flights from Iran following new U.S. sanctions targeting companies that conduct business with Iranian airlines. This move comes days after the United States announced sanctions as part of Operation Economic Outcast, aimed at isolating Iran economically. The sanctions have forced passengers traveling between Iraq and Iran to take lengthy overland routes instead of flights.
Written by AI on 2026-09-26, 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 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Iran threatens widespread disruption as Iraq halts Iran flights Same event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
Iraq suspends Iranian flights to Baghdad after US sanctions threat: Report Same event
Times of India
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 18 claims Outlet record 59/100
Flights between Iraq’s Najaf and Iran resumed as Tehran protests US curbs Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different actions: one reports Iraqi airports halting flights, while the other reports a resumption of flights between Najaf and Iran.”
Iraq seeks exemption from U.S. ban on Iran airlines Different event
The Hindu
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss Iraq halting Iranian flights due to US sanctions, they describe different aspects of the situation - Article A reports on the initial suspension by Iraqi airports, while Article B details Iraq's subsequent diplomatic efforts for an exemption.”
US to grant sanctions waiver for flights between Iran and Iraq's Najaf, source says Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different actions taken by US regarding aviation sanctions between Iran and Iraq: halting flights in Article A and granting a waiver for religious pilgrims' flights in Article B.”
US sanctions 10 entities for allegedly supporting Iran’s military Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 3 of 22 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different sanctions actions by the US against Iran, one involving aviation and another targeting entities supporting Iran's military.”
US Treasury chief says Iran airlines to be ‘shut down’ on Sept 23 Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 0 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses US Treasury chief's announcement about shutting down Iranian airlines on September 23, while Article B reports on Iraqi airports halting flights to and from Iran days after the sanctions were announced.”
US sanctions on Iran's aviation industry make travel less predictable as countries cancel flights Different event
Deutsche Welle
Hedges 3 of 40 claims Outlet record 95/100
“The articles describe related developments due to US sanctions but refer to different specific actions and timelines: Article A reports Iraqi airports halting Iranian flights, while Article B discusses broader impacts on Iran's aviation sector.”
US Treasury chief Bessent claims successes in isolating Iran Different event
The Straits Times
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes Iraqi airports halting Iranian flights, while Article B reports on US Treasury chief's claim of successes in isolating Iran through diplomatic pressure and sanctions.”
Iraq seeks US exemption from ban on Iranian flights Different event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss Iraqi airports halting Iranian flights due to new US sanctions, Article B focuses on Iraq seeking a US exemption from the ban, which appears to be a subsequent development rather than the initial event reported in Article A.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera'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 2026-09-26 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Al Jazeera · 4562 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-03
Tennessee prisons official resigns after Christa Pike’s failed US execution
2026-09-30
Indonesia suspends five officials over luxury apartments for inmates

Who wrote this

Al Jazeera Staff
793 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
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Topics

Iran Iranian Iraq Iraqi Najaf

Subjects

Iran GPE · 15× Iraq GPE · 8× Najaf GPE · 8× Iranian NORP · 5× Iraqi NORP · 5× Shia NORP · 3× AFP ORG · 2× Al Jazeera’s ORG · 2× Baghdad GPE · 2× Hewson PERSON · 2×

Narrative

Explaining the country’s decision to comply with the US move, Hewson said: “Companies providing ground services, like refuelling, baggage, it appears, are not willing to risk secondary sanctions and being frozen out of the international US dollar system.” “Iraq’s in a very difficult position,” Hewson added.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-26
🔮 is Iran threatening regional airports, and what could be the impact?
2026-09-26 · Al Jazeera
Iraqi airports halt Iranian flights after new US aviation sanctions · assertive framing

Claims (20 extracted, 1 hedged)

Four Iraqi airports have suspended all flights to and from Iran days after the United States announced new aviation sanctions on any global companies doing business with Iranian airlines. asserted
States → suspend → airlines
It is the latest ramping up of sanctions since the US launched Operation Economic Outcast in August in an effort to isolate Iran from the global economy. asserted
US → launch → economy
Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Iran threatens countries enforcing US airline sanctions - list 2 of 3US aviation sanctions disrupt Iran flights, push travellers overland - list 3 of 3Why asserted
sanctions → threaten → travellers
is Iran threatening regional airports, and what could be the impact? uncertain
what → threaten → airports
Iraqi state media said flights will no longer be operating from Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports. asserted
flights → say → airports
Iraq was one of the top destinations for Iranian airlines, especially after Iraqi airlines stopped flying to Iran at the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in February. asserted
airlines → stop → February
Passengers travelling between Iran and Iraq will now be forced to make a land journey of at least 12 hours, depending on the destination. asserted
Passengers → travel → destination
Najaf airport Iraq’s state news agency reported the suspension at Najaf international airport earlier on Friday. asserted
agency → report → Friday
Airport director Hussein Muhanna told the AFP news agency that “all flights were halted between Iran and Najaf airport following a directive from the prime minister’s office to the governor” of Najaf. asserted
flights → tell → Najaf
Iraq and neighbouring Iran are both Shia-majority countries, and flights to and from Najaf carry Iraqi Shia Muslim pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities or Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq. asserted
flights → neighbour → Iraq
In a post on X, the Iranian Consulate in Najaf responded to the suspension of flights to and from Iran, saying “Najaf international airport, the shrine of the first Imam of the Shia, and the capital of their last Imam, is closed to the largest Shia country in the world?!” asserted
airport → respond → world
An Iraqi employee of an Iranian airline at Najaf airport told AFP Iranian carriers usually operate at least 20 daily flights, but after the suspension, only four flights to other destinations remained scheduled on Friday. asserted
flights → tell → Friday
Several other regional countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, have either cancelled or restricted flights to Iran to enforce US aviation sanctions. asserted
countries → include → sanctions
That is despite the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council warning neighbouring nations against imposing a US flight ban. asserted
secretary → warn → ban
Iranian airlines are now relying on a few reduced routes, including Turkiye, Russia, China and Armenia, to remain operational. asserted
airlines → rely → Turkiye
“We cannot say that Iran is totally cut off from air traffic, but shrunk considerably,” said Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Tehran. asserted
Koseoglu → say → Tehran
Reporting from Baghdad, Al Jazeera’s Jack Hewson said Iraq’s central government has made no statement about the flight suspensions, likely because it “doesn’t want to antagonise” pro-Iranian factions in Iraq’s parliament. asserted
it → report → parliament
Explaining the country’s decision to comply with the US move, Hewson said: “Companies providing ground services, like refuelling, baggage, it appears, are not willing to risk secondary sanctions and being frozen out of the international US dollar system.” “Iraq’s in a very difficult position,” Hewson added. asserted
Hewson → explain → position
“It’s tied to the US, but it’s also tied to Iran. asserted
it → tie → Iran
And at times like these, it’s squeezed between the two.” asserted
it → squeeze → two
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