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

- The Iraqi ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdul Zahra, stated that Najaf Airport will open its doors to Iranian flights within 24 hours, following days of its closure announcement due to intensified U.S. sanctions against Tehran. The official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported the ambassador as saying that "the Iraqi government, led by Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaydi, is making continuous efforts to resume air travel between the two neighboring countries, Iraq and Iran."

He continued, stating that "no decision has been issued by the government to stop flights with Iran, but foreign ground service companies have refrained from providing their services for fear of U.S. sanctions." He reiterated that "Najaf Ashraf Airport will open its doors to Iranian flights within 24 hours."

The airport administration 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 from 02:00 on Friday, September 25, 2026, until further notice." The General Civil Aviation Authority in the UAE announced on Thursday the suspension of Iranian airline flights to and from the country starting from Thursday, in accordance with the U.S. ban imposed on those companies, according to the official Emirates News Agency (WAM).

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