Iraq’s Al-Nujaba threatens airport sit-ins over Iran flights
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Akram Al-Kaabi, secretary-general of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed faction Harakat Al-Nujaba, threatened on Friday to call for sit-ins at Iraqi airports unless normal air traffic with Iran resumes, accusing the US of restricting Iraq’s aviation decisions.
“We will not wait long,” Al-Kaabi warned, urging Iraqi political forces to “break free from American dominance.” The restrictions, he argued, were preventing millions of people from visiting religious sites and harming Iraq’s economy.
— الشيخ اكرم الكعبي (@Akram_Alkabee) September 25, 2026
Air travel between Iraq and Iran was suspended after ground-handling companies stopped servicing the routes over concerns about US Treasury penalties, prompting airlines to cease operations, a Transport Ministry source told Shafaq News.
Najaf International Airport, the last in Iraq handling connections with Iran, stopped them from 2 a.m. on Friday until further notice, according to an airport circular. Erbil and Al-Sulaymaniyah airports in the Kurdistan Region followed suit, while Kirkuk International Airport confirmed it had no Iran-bound services.
The disruption followed tighter US measures against Iran’s aviation sector. The Treasury Department sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines on Sept. 8 and warned that foreign airports, fuel suppliers, ground-handling companies, and other service providers dealing with designated carriers could face secondary sanctions.
Earlier on Friday, Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, warned that other countries in the region should not be able to operate flights if Tehran is denied access to air travel and airport services. “Either flights are free for everyone in the region, or for no one,” he said.
Read more: US sanctions reshape Iraq-Iran travel, airline operations
