US to grant sanctions waiver for flights between Iran and Iraq's Najaf, source says

The source said the ⁠move aimed to ease pressure on the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who has sought to deepen ​ties with Washington while also balancing a strong relationship with Iraq's influential neighbour, Iran.

Trump's effort to impose a ​crippling economic blockade on Iran is forcing regional governments to scale back ties with Iran, creating potential backlash against those states, particularly those that balance their ties with both Washington and Tehran.

Zaidi's office over the weekend said that Iraq was seeking an exemption ​for travel between Iran and Iraq for medical treatment, education and pilgrimage. Read More:Trump willing to offer Iran sanctions relief for nuclear progress: reports.

An Iraqi official said the Iraqi government was ​in talks with the US about the Najaf exemption and expected flights between Iran and Najaf to resume within 48 hours. The ‌US ⁠State Department referred questions to the Treasury Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In recent days, countries including Turkiye, the UAEand Iraq have cancelled direct flights with Iran as a result of US pressure. In response, Iranian officials have threatened to halt regional air travel if Iran's air links continued to ​be cut.

With religious ​pilgrims travelling between Iran and ⁠Iraq each year to visit key shrine cities, Iraq is perhaps in the most sensitive position. Najaf, a centre for religious study, draws millions of pilgrims a year to ​the shrine of Imam Ali and the world’s largest ​and oldest ⁠active Islamic cemetery.

The source said that barring flights between the two countries could cause severe backlash against Iraq's government by uniting Shia who follow Iran's supreme leader and those who follow Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, undermining US efforts to ⁠reduce Iranian ​influence in Iraq.

Zaidi has offered to provide safeguards for the flights, including rigorous ​screening and information sharing, as well as ensuring the flights are not used for the transfer of weapons, sanctioned individuals or illicit money, the ​source said.