The Najaf International Airport in central Iraq will resume daily flights with Iran on Sunday, according to the airport authorities.
Flights between Najaf and Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad, and between Najaf and Iranian capital Tehran will begin operations on Sunday evening.
A statement by the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said earlier that an agreement allowing Iranian airlines, except Mahan Air, to operate 40 flights daily to and from the Najaf International Airport was reached.
The office said last Saturday that the Iraqi government was in direct dialogue with the United States to secure sanctions exemptions for certain Iraqi airports to resume flights with Iran on humanitarian grounds.
The Najaf International Airport suspended all incoming and outgoing flights to and from Iran on Sept. 25, following the U.S. Treasury Department's recent sanctions targeting Iran's aviation sector, which suspended authorizations allowing non-U.S. airlines to fly U.S.-origin or U.S.-controlled commercial aircraft into Iran.
Iraq's Najaf airport to resume flights with Iran
Iraq's Najaf airport to resume flights with Iran
Iraq's Najaf airport to resume flights with Iran
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree on Saturday postponing the presidential and legislative elections until Sept 11, 2027, calling for the two elections to be held simultaneously.
The decision follows a resolution by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and revokes Decree No. 4 of 2026, which had scheduled the legislative elections for Nov 28, 2026, according to the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA).
The decree cited deteriorating security conditions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, restrictions on freedom of movement and Israel's continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues as major challenges to election preparations.
In the Gaza Strip, continued exceptional security and humanitarian conditions, the failure to deploy international stabilization and police forces as envisaged under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, the lack of progress in reconstruction, and the incomplete withdrawal of Israeli forces have created additional obstacles, WAFA reported.
Israeli restrictions on access to Gaza and East Jerusalem for Palestine's Central Elections Commission (CEC) staff and international observers have also hindered preparations and limited electoral bodies' ability to operate in accordance with legal and democratic standards, the agency said.
Under the decree, the CEC is responsible for preparing, organizing and supervising the presidential and legislative elections in accordance with the applicable General Elections Law, ensuring they are free, fair, transparent and inclusive throughout the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.
The decree follows national consultations among Palestinian factions and political forces, which, according to WAFA, reached a consensus to postpone the elections.
The legislative elections were part of a broader Palestinian electoral process amid a political division between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as challenges to holding elections across all Palestinian territories.
Abbas postpones Palestinian presidential, legislative elections to Sept 11, 2027
