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Iraq grants Iranian airlines 40 daily Najaf flights after US exemption

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Al Jazeera Staff. (2026, October 2). Iraq grants Iranian airlines 40 daily Najaf flights after US exemption. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/2/iraq-grants-iranian-airlines-40-daily-najaf-flights-after-us-exemption?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 2026-10-02 · by Al Jazeera Staff

Quick Summary

Iraq has allowed Iranian airlines to resume up to 40 daily flights to Najaf International Airport following an exemption from US sanctions announced by the United States government. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s office confirmed the agreement on Friday, highlighting the importance of air travel as a bridge between peoples and religious sites for Shia pilgrims traveling between Iran and Iraq. The move comes after demonstrations in Iraq over flight restrictions imposed due to US sanctions against Iran’s aviation sector last month. However, flights remain suspended at other Iraqi airports like Baghdad, Erbil, and Sulaimaniyah, necessitating long land journeys for travelers.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 23, 2026, the U.S. announced sanctions against Iranian airlines, disrupting travel between Iran and Iraq. Four major Iraqi airports halted all flights to and from Iran in compliance with these sanctions. This action significantly impacted Shia pilgrims traveling for religious visits, students studying across borders, and patients seeking medical treatment.

In response, Iraq began direct talks with the U.S., requesting exemptions that would allow humanitarian flights, including those for medical treatment and education, to resume. The Iraqi government emphasized the importance of these travel routes due to cultural ties between Shia-majority countries.

On September 28, sources close to President Donald Trump's administration indicated a limited waiver would be granted for flights specifically carrying religious pilgrims between Iran and Iraq’s Najaf city for one month. Following this announcement, commercial flights resumed on Monday at the Najaf airport, allowing up to 40 daily Iranian flights excluding Mahan Air.

Iraqi officials stated that this move appreciates U.S. cooperation in addressing Iraqi needs while also facilitating communication links between the two nations. Additionally, Iran's ambassador highlighted that roughly 12,000 to 13,000 people travel daily via these airlines, underscoring the significant impact of the suspension on both countries' populations.

Written for “US Exemption For Iraqi Flights” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 US Exemption For Iraqi Flights
Politics · 6 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Iraq says 40 daily Iranian flights cleared to fly to and from Najaf Same event
The Straits Times
Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 66/100
Iran gets US response as Washington pulls out of Iraq Different event
Dawn
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 72/100
“The articles describe different events: one about US response to Iran's proposal regarding Iraq and Gulf ceasefire, and another about Iraq granting Iranian airlines permission for flights after US sanctions exemption.”
Flights between Iraq’s Najaf and Iran resumed as Tehran protests US curbs Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe related but different events: one about resuming flights after a suspension and another about agreeing to a new flight quota with US exemption, occurring on different days.”
Iran urges Iraq to lift flight ban amid US sanctions Different event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 3 of 14 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss lifting flight restrictions between Iraq and Iran due to US sanctions, Article A refers to a general call by Iran for Iraq to lift all restrictions, while Article B reports on a specific agreement allowing up to 40 daily flights to Najaf International Airport. These are different phases or aspects of the same broader issue but not the exact same event.”
No plane, no gain: US aviation sanctions ground ordinary Iranians while missing the regime Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 67 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A reports on a decision allowing Iranian airlines to operate up to 40 daily flights between Iran and Najaf, Iraq, following an exemption by the US. Article B discusses how US aviation sanctions are affecting ordinary Iranians' travel plans.”
US to grant sanctions waiver for flights between Iran and Iraq's Najaf, source says Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes a US decision to grant a waiver for flights between Iran and Iraq's Najaf, while Article B reports on Iraq's subsequent agreement with Iranian airlines based on the US exemption.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
2 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
6
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Al Jazeera Staff
853 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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Topics

Baghdad Iran Iranian Iraq Najaf

Subjects

Iran GPE · 14× Iraq GPE · 7× Baghdad GPE · 5× Iranian NORP · 5× Najaf GPE · 4× Washington GPE · 4× Iraqi NORP · 3× 2US GPE · 2× Tehran GPE · 2× Mahan Air ORG · 1×

Narrative

Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh, told the Iranian news agency ISNA that there were “roughly 25 daily flights from Iran to Najaf and about 15 flights to Baghdad” before the ban. “Around 12,000 to 13,000 people travel between Iran and Iraq and vice versa on Iranian airlines, which is not a small number,” he added.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
2026-10-02 · Al Jazeera
Iraq grants Iranian airlines 40 daily Najaf flights after US exemption · assertive framing

Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)

Iraq has agreed to let Iranian airlines, except Mahan Air, operate up to 40 flights a day to and from Najaf International Airport, saying the United States granted an exemption from its sanctions. asserted
States → agree → sanctions
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s office announced the agreement on Friday, a day after Tehran urged Baghdad to lift restrictions that it said hurt pilgrims, patients, students and business. asserted
it → announce → pilgrims
Recommended Stories list of 2 items- list 1 of 2US issues more Iran sanctions on eve of possible talks in Pakistan - list 2 of 2US aviation sanctions disrupt Iran flights, push travellers overland The deal eases the links between the two Shia-majority neighbours since Washington sanctioned Iran’s aviation sector last month. asserted
Washington → issue → sector
Al-Zaidi welcomed the “positive response shown by the US government to Iraq’s efforts and its cooperation in granting the necessary exemption”, the statement from his office said. asserted
statement → welcome → office
“Air travel does not merely represent transportation between two airports, but rather a bridge of communication between peoples,” it added. asserted
it → represent → peoples
Separately, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said the return of flights supports an Iraqi-US partnership premised on mutual respect. asserted
return → say → respect
Hussein also welcomed what he described as US understanding of the importance of respecting religious freedom and facilitating access for visitors to holy sites. asserted
he → welcome → sites
Flights suspended asserted
Flights → suspend → ?
The US Treasury announced sanctions on September 8 against 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector. asserted
Treasury → announce → sector
Foreign ground-handling companies then refused to service Iranian aircraft for fear of falling foul of US sanctions, and flights stopped at four Iraqi airports. asserted
flights → handle → airports
Soon after, Iraq’s government held direct talks with Washington, seeking an exemption. asserted
government → hold → exemption
Iraq’s ambassador to Tehran, Yasser al-Hajjaj, told Iran’s IRNA news agency that Baghdad had not ordered the halt in flights. asserted
Baghdad → tell → flights
The suspension also led to demonstrations outside Najaf airport and in Nasiriya, Karbala and Amarah, according to Iran’s Press TV. uncertain
suspension → lead → TV
Flights to and from the city carry Iraqi Shia Muslim pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities or Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq. asserted
Flights → carry → Iraq
Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh, told the Iranian news agency ISNA that there were “roughly 25 daily flights from Iran to Najaf and about 15 flights to Baghdad” before the ban. “Around 12,000 to 13,000 people travel between Iran and Iraq and vice versa on Iranian airlines, which is not a small number,” he added. asserted
he → tell → airlines
In a statement shared on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that Washington’s “illegal and inhumane” extraterritorial enforcement of sanctions was disrupting Iran’s trade and air transport. asserted
enforcement → share → trade
Restrictions remain Flights between Najaf and Iran restarted late on Monday, according to the Iraqi News Agency. uncertain
Flights → remain → Agency
However, flights with Iran are still suspended at Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports, forcing passengers into land journeys of at least 12 hours and disrupting pilgrim traffic. asserted
flights → suspend → traffic
Al Jazeera has not verified the exemption with representatives in Washington. asserted
Jazeera → verify → Washington
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