Iraqi Airways restarted passenger services between Iranian cities and Najaf following a temporary exemption from US Treasury sanctions. The waiver, which expires October 28, allows the national carrier to transport religious pilgrims after a 4 day suspension of air links. While Iraqi Airways may now operate, aircraft registered in Iran remain barred from entering Iraqi territory, meaning the current resumption is not a full lifting of aviation restrictions.

The decision follows mass protests at Najaf International Airport and warnings from the militant group Kataib Hezbollah to shut Iraqi borders and airports to foreign states if an embargo persisted past October 1. The dispute began after the US threatened to sanction global companies and airports that serviced Iranian carriers, prompting flight suspensions at Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, and Sulaimaniya.