Iraq seeks US exemption from sanctions on Iranian airlines

The Iraqi government has said it is in talks with the United States to seek an exemption from sanctions on Iranian airlines, which have disrupted travel for patients, students and pilgrims. All Iraqi airports enforced the US ban this week, resulting in major disruption at the airport serving the holy city of Najaf, the main destination in Iraq for Iranian flights. "The Iraqi government is holding direct talks with the American side to exempt certain Iraqi airports from these measures," the prime minister's media office said. An exemption, it added, would allow flights to resume "for humanitarian reasons, including medical treatment, education, religious visits, and for the interest of civilians". Iranian airlines mainly carry Iraqi Shia pilgrims to Iran's holy cities or Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq. The flights also serve Iraqi students studying in Iran and patients seeking medical treatment there. In an interview with Iranian news agency ISNA, Iran's ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh said his country was also in contact with the Baghdad authorities to find a way to restore the flights. "There are roughly 25 daily flights from Iran to Najaf and about 15 flights to Baghdad, and... around 12,000 to 13,000 people travel between Iran and Iraq and vice versa on Iranian airlines, which is not a small number," he said. Report by AFP