BaghdadAll 4 Iraqi airports halted Iran flights.
Pilgrims, students and patients now face a land journey of at least 12 hours.
Ground-service firms reportedly won’t risk secondary US sanctions and exclusion from dollar clearing, so Iraq enforced Washington’s ban on Iranian airlines.
“People’s lives are at risk,” said Haidar Mansour, 50, who needs a kidney transplant in Iran.
Baghdad has issued no statement, and Iranian carriers now rely on routes via Turkey, Russia, China and Armenia.
How each outlet framed it
drawn from 50+ reports worldwide
- Dawn
- emphasizes Shia pilgrimage route disruption from Najaf, forces 12+ hour land journey, Operation Economic Outcast context
- Al Jazeera Online
- connects Iraqi airline suspension to February US-Israel war; Iraq as historically top Iranian airline destination
Sources: Dawn, Al Jazeera Online