Najaf International Airport has suspended all inbound and outbound flights with Iran until further notice, following instructions from what airport management described as the relevant authorities.
An urgent official letter addressed to terminal managers and airlines said the suspension took effect at 2 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. The airport did not identify the authority behind the order or give a reason for the decision.
Airport management instructed airlines and other operators not to take any operational steps related to flights between Najaf and Iran while the suspension remains in force. It said any change, including the resumption of services, would be announced officially.
Najaf Airport in Iraq has suspended all flights to and from Iran, mirroring an earlier halt at Baghdad. A Meraj Airlines A319 bound for Mashhad left Najaf empty after passengers were blocked from boarding. https://t.co/0883b7xDmV
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 25, 2026
The decision had an immediate effect on Iranian carriers using Najaf. Airport management prevented passengers from boarding a Mahan Air aircraft and required the plane to return empty to Mashhad.
Najaf is a major destination for Iranian travelers, particularly religious pilgrims visiting the city’s Shiite holy sites. The suspension therefore affects one of the principal air links between Iraq and Iran at a time when Iranian airlines are facing growing restrictions across the region, caused by US pressure.
The airport’s notice did not link the decision to U.S. sanctions. However, it comes after Washington expanded sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector earlier this month and warned foreign companies about providing services to designated Iranian airlines.
On Sept. 8, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions on 36 targets connected to Iran’s aviation sector, including 27 Iranian airlines. Treasury said the action was part of “Operation Economic Outcast,” its campaign to increase financial pressure on Tehran.
Earlier on Wednesday, an Iranian flight landed in a Chinese airport, defying the US threat of sanctions.
A Mahan Air commercial flight from Tehran landed in Guangzhou Baiyun airport in southern China, a tracking data website says, despite the US threatening to “shut down” Tehran’s carriers and punish anyone doing business with them starting today.
Commenting on the move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated Beijing’s opposition to illegal unilateral sanctions by the US.
“China’s position has always been consistent,” Guo said at a daily press briefing in Beijing.
“We firmly oppose illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and have not been authorized by the United Nations Security Council,” he said.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)