As restrictions on regime-linked flights tighten, Iran-aligned Iraqi factions are escalating their rhetoric, while Tehran retreats from a threat of military retaliation against neighboring countries.
The tightening of sanctions on the Iran regime and the suspension of flights connected to the regime have triggered a sharp reaction from Iran-aligned armed groups and political factions in Iraq, with some threatening to stage sit-ins at Iraqi airports in an attempt to force the government to reverse the restrictions.
The developments, reported by Asharq Al-Awsat, underscore the extent to which measures targeting the regime’s international aviation links can reverberate through its network of allied groups and political forces in neighboring countries.
Rather than treating the restrictions as a conventional aviation dispute, Iran-aligned factions in Iraq have portrayed them as a broader political and economic confrontation involving the United States and the Iran regime.
Iran-Aligned Factions Threaten Airport Protests
Adnan Faihan al-Dulaimi, first deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament and a figure associated with Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, criticized the Iraqi government’s implementation of restrictions on civilian flights involving Iran.
He threatened that parliament could convene to seek cancellation of the decision if the government did not reverse course. He also warned that Tehran could retaliate, claiming that such a confrontation could affect Iraq’s economy and the supply of gas to Iraqi power plants.
Akram al-Kaabi, leader of Harakat al-Nujaba, went further. He criticized political positions supporting the suspension of flights between Iraq and Iran and called on people to prepare for sit-ins at Iraqi airports.
According to his stated position, if the issue was not resolved and flights did not return to normal, he would call for airport sit-ins aimed at overturning the restrictions.
The threats place additional pressure on the Iraqi government as it attempts to balance relations with Washington, Tehran, and powerful Iran-aligned factions operating within Iraq’s political and security landscape.
Restrictions Extend Beyond Aviation
Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the dispute extends beyond airlines and flight routes.
An Iraqi political activist cited by the newspaper described the aviation restrictions as part of a broader partial economic blockade. The report also said that the Trade Bank of Iraq was holding approximately $12 billion belonging to Iran that had not yet been transferred to Tehran.
The same source questioned the positions of Iraqi actors opposing Baghdad’s implementation of sanctions, noting that they had not similarly objected when Iran prevented Iraqi oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The issue therefore touches a much broader economic relationship between Iraq and the Iran regime, including financial transfers, energy supplies, trade, and transportation.
At the same time, the Iraqi government announced that it was holding direct discussions with Washington over possible exemptions for some Iraqi airports from restrictions affecting Iranian airlines under U.S. sanctions.
That effort illustrates the practical dilemma facing Baghdad: restrictions on Iranian aviation can have consequences for Iraq’s economy and energy sector, while attempts to circumvent U.S. sanctions can expose Iraqi institutions to additional pressure.
Iran-Aligned Iraqi Leaders Rally Against the Restrictions
The reaction has also come from organizations closely aligned with the Iran regime and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) network.
Hammam Hamoudi, head of Iraq’s Supreme Islamic Council, condemned what he described as a blockade imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Iranian flights. He characterized participation in political, military, economic, or media pressure against Iran as unacceptable and called for the restrictions to be broken.
Hadi al-Ameri, secretary-general of Iraq’s Badr Organization, similarly condemned the restrictions, particularly those affecting Iranian air travel. He called on the Iraqi government not to comply with the decision, presenting the issue as a test of Iraq’s sovereignty.
The statements demonstrate how the regime’s pressure network in Iraq can mobilize political rhetoric when measures directed at Tehran begin affecting its regional economic and logistical channels.
Tehran Retreats From Retaliation Threat
The escalation was accompanied by contradictory messaging from Tehran itself.
On September 22, regime official Mohsen Rezaei warned neighboring countries against cooperating with the United States over restrictions on Iranian aircraft. In televised remarks, he said countries that entered into what he described as cooperation or “adventures” with Washington could eventually find their airports unable to receive flights.
The statement amounted to a direct warning that countries participating in restrictions against the regime could face consequences affecting their own aviation infrastructure.
However, the regime subsequently moved to distance itself from that threat.
The Supreme National Security Council issued a statement rejecting interpretations that Iran would respond militarily to the new aviation restrictions. It specifically denied claims that Tehran intended to undertake military retaliation in response to the restrictions.
The reversal is significant because it exposes a gap between the regime’s initial threatening rhetoric and the position it was subsequently prepared to defend officially.
Pressure on the Regime’s Regional Network
The aviation dispute highlights a broader problem for Tehran.
The regime has for decades relied on political, economic, and armed networks across the region to extend its influence beyond Iran’s borders. Iraq has been particularly important in this network, providing political allies, armed factions, trade connections, energy links, and transportation routes.
When sanctions and international restrictions begin affecting those channels, the consequences are not confined to Tehran. They also create tensions for Iraqi political factions that have built close relationships with the regime.
The threats of airport sit-ins therefore represent more than opposition to a flight restriction. They show the extent to which Iran-aligned factions in Iraq are prepared to pressure their own government when measures targeting Tehran affect their interests.
At the same time, Baghdad’s negotiations with Washington over exemptions indicate that the Iraqi government is attempting to manage the consequences rather than simply implement Tehran’s preferred position.
The regime’s subsequent retreat from Rezaei’s retaliation threat adds another dimension. After issuing a warning that neighboring countries could face consequences for cooperating with Washington, Tehran’s security establishment publicly denied that military retaliation was being considered.
Taken together, the developments point to increasing constraints on the regime’s ability to maintain its regional networks without generating political and economic costs for its allies—and to the growing difficulty of translating threatening rhetoric into an official policy of confrontation.