ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq said Saturday that Tehran and Baghdad are continuing talks on the suspension of flights between the two countries, with a decision expected soon. "They are asking the Iraqi government to find a solution to resolve this issue, and God willing, a decision will be made soon in this regard," Al-e Sadeq told the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA). Al-e Sadeq said around 25 daily flights operate from Iran to Najaf and about 15 flights to Baghdad, carrying between 12,000 and 13,000 passengers a day on Iranian airlines. He said that the sudden ban had caused severe disruptions for travelers, including Iraqi students studying in Iran. Commercial flights between Iran and Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, were suspended on Friday as Iraqi airports moved to comply with tightened US sanctions targeting Tehran’s aviation sector. Al-e Sadeq said Iranian officials had submitted several proposals to their Iraqi counterparts to resolve the issue and that joint meetings involving the airports had been held to discuss possible solutions. Iraq said Saturday that it is separately holding direct talks with Washington to seek exemptions for some Iraqi airports, allowing Iranian flights to resume for humanitarian and civilian purposes including medical treatment, education, and religious visits. The suspension has triggered demonstrations in several Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, Najaf, Basra and Maysan, as passengers and others called for flights to resume. Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed Shaheed said Saturday that he had collected more than 50 signatures to call an emergency parliamentary session attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to discuss the suspension and its consequences. . “People are not waiting for us to release posts and statements... they expect a genuine parliamentary stance,” the lawmaker said. Several prominent Iraqi political and armed-group leaders close to Iran also called on Baghdad to reverse the suspension. Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri told demonstrators that the Iraqi government should “heed the will of the Iraqi people” and reverse what he called an “unjust decision.” He also urged Baghdad not to comply with the measure. Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali likewise rejected the suspension, calling on Iraq’s political forces, parliament, and government to adopt a unified stance based on what he described as “sovereign and human principles” and not become complicit in measures against Iran. His statement came as he criticized Iraq’s participation in what he described as a blockade of Iran by land, sea, and air. Abu Alaa al-Walai, head of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, called on parliament members to pass binding legislation preventing the government from complying with US measures. Amiri and Khazali are influential figures within Iraq’s Coordination Framework, the main parliamentary block supporting Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. The suspensions followed US measures against Iran's aviation sector. On September 8, the US Treasury sanctioned 36 targets, including 27 Iranian airlines, as part of Operation Economic Outcast, targeting what it described as Iran's remaining active airlines as well as companies and intermediaries supporting the sector. On September 21, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said all Iranian airlines would be shut down worldwide from September 23 and warned that companies providing them with fuel, landing services or ticket sales risked losing access to the US dollar financial system.
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