US grants exemption allowing Iranian airlines to resume flights to Iraq's Najaf

Titles and summaries are AI-extracted from news reporting; every source is linked below. Event id 0a224ed0-5e1f-4488-b0a8-93c0b74fb73e.

Where: Najaf International Airportresolved to facility31.989, 44.404
When: Occurrence date not stated by reportingFirst reported 2026-10-03 · last update 2026-10-04
Sourcing: 6 reports6 outlets carrying it · independence not established
How far this got: pinpointedlocated to facilityThis signal has no sensor recommendation, so there is nothing specific to look for.

Summary

The United States granted Iraq an exemption allowing sanctioned Iranian airlines to resume operations to Najaf International Airport, with the Iraqi government approving up to 40 daily flights to and from the city. The agreement excludes Mahan Air. Flights resumed on October 4, 2026, with Caspian Airlines operating the first flight, landing at 5:15 pm GMT. The resumption follows Iraq's previous enforcement of a US ban on Iranian carriers. The flights primarily serve Shia pilgrims, Iraqi students studying in Iran, and patients seeking medical treatment, addressing humanitarian, medical, tourism, and educational needs. The US also granted Iraqi Airways a waiver to operate between Najaf and Iran.

What imagery could confirm

Which satellite to use, what to look for and why, and whether post-event imagery has been found. Part of the event detail on Pro.

What remains unresolved

located to facility

Timeline

7 recorded change(s). The ledger starts when this event was first folded: the initial observation is not recorded as a change, so an empty timeline means nothing has moved since, not that nothing is known.

2026-10-05member countour measurement5 → 6reports joined

6 more change(s) — the values are part of the event detail on paid plans.

Sources

Grouped by outlet. Syndication is not collapsed, so several outlets can carry one wire story — the count is breadth of carriage, not independent confirmation.

presstv.co.uk
- Iraq allows 40 daily Iranian flights to and from Najaf after protests over US sanctions2026-10-03
middleeasteye.net
- Flights between Iran and Iraq's Najaf to resume on Sunday, Iraqi state news agency says2026-10-03
gdnonline.com
- Middle East News: Flights to Iraq resume today2026-10-04
economictimes.indiatimes.com
- Iran airlines resume flights to Iraqi holy city after US exemption2026-10-04
hindustantimes.com
- Iran airlines resume flights to Iraqi holy city after US exemption | World News2026-10-04
thefrontierpost.com
- Iran airlines resume flights to Najaf after US exemption2026-10-04

Related events

7 related event(s) and 2 place(s) or facilities — the same facility, place, actor or campaign. Part of the event detail on Pro.

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