SOVEREIGNTY TEST AMID U.S. DICTATES
Iraq Vows to Restore Iran Flights as Protests Spread
TEHRAN -- Iraq’s ambassador to Tehran pledged on Monday that Najaf International Airport will reopen to direct Iranian flights within 24 hours, as large crowds of Iraqis gathered at the entrance of the airport to protest the suspension of direct flights between the two countries.
The head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said Iraq is carrying out the necessary coordination to facilitate the provision of services to Iranian airlines.
“We are making sustained efforts to fully resume air flights between the two neighboring countries,” Ambassador Yasser al-Hajjaj told the official Iraqi News Agency (WAA).
“No decision has been issued by the Baghdad government to halt flights with Iran; rather, some foreign ground service companies at the airport, under pressure from U.S. sanctions, had arbitrarily refused to provide services to Iranian flights.”
He emphasized that Najaf International Airport will once again welcome direct flights from Iran within the next 24 hours.
Abouzar Shiroudi, head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, confirmed that “the Iraqi side is carrying out the necessary coordination to facilitate the provision of services to Iranian airlines”.
However, he cautioned that “until this moment, no official circular or directive has been received regarding the lifting of the ban on Iranian airlines flying to Iraq, and the issue raised is merely at the level of media speculation.”
He added that the Civil Aviation Organization is continuously consulting and diligently pursuing the establishment of flights, but that no precise timeline can be announced until official documentation is received and a final decision is made.
The suspension, however, has sparked unprecedented backlash across Iraq.
Thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets in Baghdad, Basra, and other provinces, chanting “No, no to the blockade” and denouncing the flight ban as submission to foreign dictates.
Demonstrators in Tahrir Square expressed loyalty to Iran and rejected an American-imposed siege on their neighbor and ally.
In Najaf, a broad call was issued by residents a day earlier for a mass gathering in the city, and protesters assembled at the entrance of Najaf International Airport Monday, raising the Iranian flag and carrying portraits of the martyred Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
A protest gathering by Najaf residents denouncing Iraq’s participation in the air blockade of Iran was also being held near the Twentieth Revolution bridges.
In the southern city of Nasiriyah, citizens staged widespread demonstrations condemning the government’s alignment with the American blockade against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In Baghdad, protest gatherings were held in response to the Zaidi government’s decision to comply with Washington’s orders regarding the air blockade of Iran.
Residents of Basra province also held spontaneous demonstrations to express their opposition to and revulsion at what they described as “the Iraqi government’s recent chaotic actions against the Iranian people.”
Prominent Iraqi political and religious figures have joined the chorus of condemnation.
Secretary-General of the Badr Organization Hadi al-Amiri said: “We strongly reject and condemn the unjust blockade imposed by the United States against Iran, especially the recent restrictions on air travel.”
He urged the Iraqi government not to comply with what he called an unfair decision, describing it as a crucial test of Iraq’s complete sovereignty.
Former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi called the closure of Iraqi airports to Iranian flights a “great mistake” and a retreat from national sovereignty, warning that it sacrifices national interests and the country’s future.
Ayatollah Modarresi’s office, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, the Basair Movement, and the Basra Provincial Council have all issued statements opposing the decision.
The Secretary-General of the Nujaba Movement threatened to mobilize Iraqi citizens, Husseini processions, and pilgrims’ servants for a sit-in at Iraqi airports if the issue is not resolved.
Members of the Basra parliament have initiated a signature drive for an emergency parliamentary session, demanding the presence of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Transportation, and the head of the Civil Aviation Organization.
The government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has defended the decision as necessary to avoid American sanctions, but has simultaneously acknowledged negotiations with Washington to secure exemptions for certain airports, particularly Najaf, for humanitarian reasons.
The flight ban is the latest in a series of provocative measures that critics say demonstrate the Zaidi government’s subservience to Washington.
Earlier this month, Iraqi authorities abruptly closed key border crossings with Iran, including Shalamcheh in Basra and al-Shib in Missan province, following a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline that authorities claimed originated from Iraqi territory.
The closures left thousands of travelers stranded and disrupted the flow of essential goods and commodities that Iraq imports from Iran, including foodstuffs and consumer products that form the backbone of Iraqi markets.
While the crossings were gradually reopened in the days that followed, the initial closure caused significant economic damage and sparked outrage among Iraqi traders and citizens who depend on Iranian goods.
Videos circulating on social media showed Iraqis complaining about the sudden halt to the entry of basic goods and commodities from Iran, with many warning of price increases and shortages.
Iraqi leaders have also warned of severe consequences should the suspension of Iranian flights persist, particularly given Iraq’s deep energy dependence on its neighbor.
First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Adnan Fijan described the government’s decision to suspend flights with Iran as “hasty and ill-considered,” warning that if Iran reciprocates by cutting gas exports to Iraq, the country’s electricity grid would lose more than 30 percent of its generation capacity.
Iran currently supplies a significant portion of Iraq’s natural gas needs, which are critical for power generation. More than 40 percent of Iraq’s electricity is derived from Iranian gas imports, a dependency that has deepened over years of insufficient domestic production and crippling infrastructure damage from decades of conflict.
The provocative decision comes amid a broader pattern of American interference in Iraqi internal affairs that critics say has systematically undermined Iraqi sovereignty.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman and banker with no prior government experience, was installed in April after Washington pressured Iraq’s political blocs to abandon former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who had emerged as the leading candidate for the premiership.
President Donald Trump had threatened to withdraw all support for Baghdad if al-Maliki returned to power.
Washington’s support for al-Zaidi was reportedly tied to demands that anti-terror and resistance groups be excluded from Iraq’s next government.
Despite Iraq’s compliance with American demands, Washington has not released Iraq’s oil revenues, which remain frozen in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The Trump administration has suspended the delivery of dollar banknotes to Iraq on multiple occasions, blocking the transfer of approximately $500 million in Iraqi oil sale proceeds in one instance alone.
The United States has also frozen funding for training programs for the Iraqi military and counterterrorism units.
The frozen oil revenues are particularly devastating for Iraq, where oil exports account for approximately 90 percent of budget revenues.
The current crisis is the direct result of blatant American meddling in Iraqi internal affairs, according to Iraqi political analysts and leaders.
Iraqi citizens continue to bear the brunt of these decisions.
Wissam al-Kinani, owner of a tourism company in Baghdad, described the devastating impact.
“We have truly suffered great losses. First of all, students have been harmed because if there are no flights, a student cannot travel. Secondly, patients, especially elderly patients, have been greatly harmed. How can they travel to Iran by land? If they are sick and spend 30 hours on the road, what will happen to them?”
Amjad Muhammad, another tourism company owner, warned: “Companies must protest against this issue because our livelihood has been cut off. The rent, employee salaries, and other expenses are still there. Our livelihood depends on flights to Iran.”
Falih al-Miyali, a translator for tour groups to Iran, highlighted the impact on Iraqi students: “The decision to prevent Iranian planes from landing in Iraq is one of the unjust decisions and is completely distant from the interests of Iraq and Iran, especially the interests of Iraqi students who continue their studies in Iran.”
Iraqi citizens and political leaders alike are demanding a reversal of the decision, warning that continued submission to Washington will only deepen Iraq’s crisis and further erode its sovereignty.