Skip to main content

Iraqi Deputy Speaker Calls Iran Flight Ban Unconstitutional, Warns of Emergency Session

Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of the entrance to Sulaymaniyah International Airport in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, two men in blue shirts talking beneath a sweeping curved canopy beside the arrivals doorway, with a wave-shaped terminal wing, a round control tower and two flags beyond a forecourt of flower beds, drawn from a May 2007 photograph; a contextual image of one of the airports that suspended Iran flights, not a depiction of Deputy Speaker Adnan Faihan al-Dulaimi's statement or of the Iraqi parliament.

Iraq's first deputy parliament speaker, Adnan Faihan al-Dulaimi, said on Saturday that restrictions on Iranian civilian flights at Iraqi airports are unconstitutional and warned that parliament could hold an extraordinary session if the decision is not reversed. He said unilateral U.S. sanctions are not a binding obligation on Iraq, and that he had asked the government how it would compensate airlines, hotels and workers and what would follow if Iran halted gas supplies. Najaf, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports have suspended flights to and from Iran. On September 8, Treasury sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines, saying the Iranian regime uses its aviation sector to move weapons, personnel and illicit cargo.

Sources

U.S. Department of the TreasurySource Language: EnglishForeign governmentOpens in a new tab.Secondary sources:12

Related stories

  1. Iraq Says It Is in Direct Talks With U.S. to Exempt Some Airports From Iranian Airline Ban

Something went wrong

We couldn't complete that action. Check your connection and try again.