Iran24 September, 20263 min read
Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhuhada Urges Iraq To Reject US-Linked Siege On Iran After Najaf Airport Closure
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Iraqi resistance leaders urge government and parliament to reject the Iran siege. Najaf International Airport halted flights to Tehran amid the siege.
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Air links suspended
Iraqi Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhuhada Secretary-General Abu Ala al-Walai urged Iraq’s government and parliament to reject an “unjust siege” on Iran and not to submit to the “evil will” of the United States after Najaf International Airport closed to flights to and from Tehran. Najaf International Airport suspended all flights arriving from and departing for Iran “until further notice,” based on directives from the office of the Iraqi prime minister. Abu Ala al-Walai said, “It is not fitting for the Iraq of Hussein (AS) (third Shia Imam) to be part of an unjust siege on Iran,” and he added, “No to the siege, and no to making the land of Hussein (AS) a path to oppressing his Shia and lovers.”
The PressTV account tied the halt to US measures targeting Iran’s aviation sector, including a September 8 Treasury action that sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines and threatened airports, fuel suppliers, ground-handling firms, and other service providers dealing with Iranian carriers with secondary sanctions. Fuad Hussein told Al Arabiya that Baghdad would discuss the issue of sanctions with the United States to explore the possibility of providing services to Iranian airlines, while Yasser al-Hajjaj told Al Ahad TV that Iraq and Iran were holding talks to find solutions aimed at resuming flights by Iranian airlines to Iraqi airports.
Parliament urged to resist
Al-Khazali’s media office rejected Iraq being a partner in the siege of Iran and said Iraq “stands by as a spectator, indeed participating in this unjust, oppressive siege.” Al-Khazali’s statement urged “our people first, then political forces, parliament, and the government, to take a unified stance,” and it called for a position “free from intimidation” while Iraq’s stance remained “humane in being the people of Hussein who refuse to be a partner in the oppression of Muslim peoples.” Qais al-Khazali, Secretary-General of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, also rejected the “unjust siege” and said Iraq should not stand by or participate in it, adding, “We urge our people first, then political forces, parliament, and the government to adopt a unified position.”
Akram al-Kaabi warned that continuing restrictions on flights harms Iraq’s economic and moral interests and restricts the movement of citizens and visitors between the two countries, and he urged Iraqi political forces to end American dominance and work on restoring smooth air movement with the Islamic Republic. Adel Abdul Mahdi called the closure of Iraqi airports to Iranian aviation a major mistake and a concession of national sovereignty, and he urged authorities to reverse the decision.
Sanctions pressure escalates
The Shafaq News account said Kataib Hezbollah urged Iraqis to break the “US siege on Iran” after US sanctions on Iran’s civil aviation sector took effect, and it called on Iraqis to “break this siege by every possible means” in support of Iran.
Shafaq News reported that the United States sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines on Sept. 8, and it quoted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning that the carriers would effectively be shut out of international operations from Wednesday as companies providing them with fuel, landing services or ticket sales risk US penalties.
Aziz al-Tamimi, managing director of Aviation for All, told Shafaq News that Iranian carriers operate about 50 flights a day to Iraq, and he said the restrictions affected Iraqi tourists, students, medical patients, businesspeople and Iraqis living in Iran.
The same account said Baghdad International Airport suspended all flights to and from Iran while Najaf International Airport continued to handle them, and it added that Turkiye and China also continued to operate flights to Iran.
The Middle East Online account described Kataib Hezbollah’s call as a campaign to break what it called the “American siege” and said the call came after Washington’s announcement of sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines with secondary sanctions threats against related service providers.