Iraq's Najaf airport halts Iran flights as Tehran threatens countries with airspace disruption

Iraq's Najaf International Airport halted all flights to and from Iran on Friday, effective until further notice.In a statement released through Iraq's state news agency (INA), the airport's administration said that, per official directives from the competent authorities, all flights to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran would be suspended beginning from 2am Friday, (2300 GMT Thursday), with no set date for resumption.The airport called on all relevant parties to take appropriate action and inform airlines and other operators accordingly, noting that any decision to restart flights would be communicated through an official announcement.Following the announcement, Advisor to the Iranian leader, Mohammad Mokhber, threatened regional countries with airspace disruption.He said if Iran could not have flights and receive airport service, “no one in the region can either”, Reuters reported, citing Nournews.On Tuesday, Iran's civil aviation organisation announced that flights between Tehran and both Baghdad and Oman's Muscat would be halted starting early Wednesday.Later, the United Arab Emirates announced suspending flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country, joining Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan.The announcement comes after US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that Iranian airlines' operations worldwide would cease as of Wednesday, as part of sanctions targeting Iran.With the US-Israeli war against Iran having reached a prolonged stalemate for months, Washington has signalled a change in strategy. The new financial sanctions will target firms in countries that conduct business with Iranian companies, an approach commonly referred to as "secondary sanctions."The country has also warned that airports and companies continuing to service sanctioned Iranian carriers could risk losing access to the US dollar financial system.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.