Najaf airport resumes daily flights with Iran

Najaf International Airport in central Iraq will resume daily flights with Iran from Sunday.

Flights linking Najaf with the Iranian cities of Mashhad and Tehran are set to restart in the evening. Earlier, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said an agreement had been reached allowing Iranian airlines, except Mahan Air, to operate up to 40 daily flights to and from Najaf.

The Iraqi government has also said it is in direct talks with the United States to secure sanctions exemptions for certain airports so that flights with Iran can resume on humanitarian grounds.

Najaf International Airport suspended all flights to and from Iran on September 25 following new U.S. sanctions measures targeting Iran's aviation sector.

According to CCTV+, the resumption restores one of the key air links between Iraq and Iran. Future flight volumes will depend on existing sanctions restrictions and any exemptions granted.