Iraq’s Badr bloc warns government over U.S. sanctions on Iranian airlines

Iraq’s Badr parliamentary bloc has warned the government not to back down in the face of U.S. pressure over Iranian airlines and to make its position on the issue clear.

According to Iraq’s Al-Ahd network, the bloc said on Tuesday that the Iraqi government and the country’s aviation authority should not accept the U.S. Treasury Department’s demand to sanction Iranian airlines and ban their use of Iraqi airspace and airports.

The Badr bloc stressed that complying with these sanctions would be seen as a violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty and could affect the movement of pilgrims to the holy shrines as well as the country’s domestic economy.

The bloc has called on the Iraqi government to clearly state its view on the sanctions.

In further reactions, China’s Foreign Ministry had previously said it opposed what it described as illegal U.S. sanctions against Iranian airlines.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also claimed recently that the operations of all Iranian commercial airlines would be halted globally from Wednesday, Sept. 23, corresponding to Mehr 1.

The Badr bloc is one of Iraq’s well-known political movements, and its positions on issues related to sovereignty and regional relations usually draw wide attention in the country’s political arena.