Iraq’s Coordination Framework Discusses Fallout from Iranian Flight Ban, Seeks Ways to Reverse It
A source within Iraq’s Coordination Framework said Monday that the bloc’s leaders held a consultative meeting on Sunday evening, at the invitation of Supreme Islamic Council leader Hammam Hammoudi and attended by Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, to discuss the ban on Iranian aircraft landing at Iraqi airports and its repercussions.
The source said the absence of State of Law Coalition leader Nouri Al-Maliki and Badr Organization leader Hadi Al-Amiri due to personal commitments turned the planned meeting into a consultative session among the leaders who attended.
According to the source, the prime minister briefed participants on the main understandings reached during his discussions with US President Donald Trump and several US administration officials, as well as his assessment of the next phase in light of the political, military and geopolitical developments in the region.
The meeting also addressed the repercussions of the ban on Iranian flights and possible options for lifting or easing the measure. The source said the issue is also expected to be discussed during a meeting of Iraq’s four presidencies scheduled for Monday.
The meeting of the four presidencies is expected to address several key Iraqi issues, including matters on which the prime minister has received approval to pursue solutions aimed at serving Iraq’s interests. A second Coordination Framework meeting is also expected to take place Monday evening after the four-presidencies meeting to discuss the main issues on the agenda.
A political source said Sunday that Coordination Framework leaders were preparing to meet with the prime minister to discuss the decision to halt the reception of Iranian aircraft at Iraqi airports, as well as its political and public repercussions and its impact on relations between Baghdad and Tehran.
The developments follow the Iraqi government’s announcement that it had opened direct talks with the US administration to seek exemptions for some Iraqi airports from restrictions affecting Iranian flights.
The US Treasury Department announced sanctions on September 8 against 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector, including 27 airlines. The measures came into effect last week, prompting mixed reactions from Iraqi travel, tourism and land-transport companies.
