Iraq grants Iranian airlines daily Najaf flights following US waiver for Mahan Air
Summary
Iraq has authorized 40 daily flights to Najaf for Iranian carriers, explicitly excluding Mahan Air due to a US-granted waiver requested by Baghdad. This development highlights the continued economic and logistical interdependence between Iran and Iraq, as well as the role of US diplomatic leverage in shaping regional aviation and trade flows.
Full Content
Sources (1)
Actor Responses
Gained expanded aviation access to Iraq via non-Mahan carriers.
Granted a waiver to Baghdad to exclude Mahan Air from the agreement.
Related Events (3)
"Both events involve the direct impact of US sanctions and waivers on Iranian civil aviation. Event 7 shows a specific operational consequence (Iraq granting flights due to a waiver), while the new event represents the Iranian state's narrative response to the broader sanctions regime that necessitates such waivers."
"Both events reflect the deepening strategic and economic integration between Iran and Iraq, specifically through the US waiver for Mahan Air and the US military withdrawal, signaling a shift in the regional balance of power favoring the Iranian axis."
"Event 7 describes a specific US economic/diplomatic action (granting a waiver for Mahan Air) that directly impacts Iran's economy and trade. The new event is Iranian state media's counter-narrative claiming US economic pressure has failed. These two events are parallel in the sense that they represent the two sides of the same economic/diplomatic dynamic: the US implementing measures (even if waivers) and Iran projecting resilience against the broader pressure campaign."