Iraq talking with Treasury Department to ‘exempt some’ airports from Iranian aviation shutdown
The Office of Iraq’s Prime Minister announced Saturday it is in talks with the U.S. Treasury Department to secure an exemption linked to the shutdown of Iranian airlines.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week that all Iranian airlines will be “shut down” starting Wednesday during the Operation Economic Outcast pressure campaign against the regime in Tehran.
“And how do we do that? That if they land, you cannot provide them with fuel. You cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,” Bessent told CNBC in an interview, describing the risk of secondary sanctions.
“The Iraqi government is conducting direct dialogue with the American side to exempt some Iraqi airports from these measures, in a manner that allows the resumption of air travel, for humanitarian reasons related to treatment, study, religious visits, and civilian interests,” the Iraq Prime Minister’s Office said Saturday.
“While the Iraqi government is working to de-escalate the situation in the region, it affirms that the continuation of crises complicates the scene further, and calls on all parties to engage in dialogue and negotiation to reach solutions that end the current crisis and conflicts, in a way that achieves the interests of the region’s countries and peoples,” it added.
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