Iraq’s Transport Ministry told Kurdistan24 that flights to and from Iran continue normally and no suspension order has been issued, despite earlier reports of an imminent ban.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Flights between Iraq and Iran remain in operation and no instructions have been issued to suspend them, Iraq’s Ministry of Transport told Kurdistan24 on Tuesday, directly contradicting earlier reports that Baghdad would begin restricting Iranian airlines at dawn.
Hussein Ahmed, spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Transport, said on Sept. 22 that the ministry had checked with airports across the country and found services continuing according to their schedules.
“As I speak to Kurdistan24, flights between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran are continuing,” Ahmed said.
“We have contacted all airports, and they confirmed that flights are operating according to schedule,” he added. “We have received no instructions to suspend them.”
The ministry’s statement provides the clearest official Iraqi position so far after two Iraqi government sources told Agence France-Presse on Monday that Baghdad planned to enforce restrictions on Iranian carriers beginning early Tuesday.
One of those officials told AFP that Iraq would implement a ban “in accordance with the US Treasury decision” from Tuesday at dawn, while warning that countries failing to comply could themselves face sanctions. A second Iraqi government source confirmed the account to AFP.
As of Tuesday, however, the Transport Ministry says no suspension order has reached the country’s airports.
US Pressure on Iranian Aviation
The conflicting Iraqi accounts come amid a major expansion of US sanctions against Iran’s aviation sector.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that Iranian airlines could effectively be excluded from international operations beginning Sept. 23, warning airports and companies against providing services to sanctioned carriers.
“On September 23, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent told CNBC.
He said airports and companies could expose themselves to US sanctions by refueling Iranian aircraft, providing landing services or selling tickets, including the risk of being cut off from the US dollar financial system.
The US Treasury had already announced a broad aviation sanctions package on Sept. 8, designating 36 targets connected to Iran’s aviation sector. Those included 27 Iranian airlines, along with foreign companies and intermediaries accused by Washington of supporting the industry. Treasury also warned foreign entities assisting sanctioned Iranian carriers that they could face serious consequences.
The measures form part of the Trump administration’s Operation Economic Outcast, an effort to restrict Iran’s access to international financial networks and revenue.
US sanctions have long affected Iranian airlines’ access to aircraft, spare parts, maintenance and technology, but the latest measures broaden pressure on foreign airports, service providers and companies that continue doing business with the designated carriers.
No Suspension on the Ground
The distinction between the US sanctions and their implementation in Iraq has now become central.
Monday’s AFP report suggested Iraqi authorities were preparing to act before the Sept. 23 date highlighted by Bessent. Tuesday’s statement from the Transport Ministry indicates that no such operational suspension has yet been communicated to airports.
Ahmed did not address whether restrictions could be imposed later. His comments were limited to the current situation: flights are continuing, airports are following their schedules and the ministry has received no instruction ordering a halt.
That leaves the immediate status of Iraq-Iran air travel clear, even as the policy outlook remains unsettled.
For travelers on Tuesday, the Transport Ministry’s position is that scheduled flights remain operational.
For airlines and airport operators, however, the wider question now concerns how Iraq will respond to expanding US sanctions on Iranian aviation and whether new instructions will follow as Washington’s Sept. 23 measures move closer.
The difference between the earlier government-source account and the Transport Ministry’s on-record statement also underscores that, at least for now, an announced or anticipated restriction has not translated into a suspension of flights at Iraqi airports.
Mateen Kareem Khan, Kurdistan24 journalist, contributed to this report.