None.

US power in region is waning, says senior IRGC adviser

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says withdrawal from Iraq shows that US power in the region is waning, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.

Naqdi said the US was “forced to withdraw” from Iraq after incurring significant costs, adding that the departure of US forces from the country after 23 years suggests that the “power of the United States is not as it is portrayed”.

US Treasury sets reform expectations with Iraq’s foreign minister

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Washington to discuss bilateral financial cooperation, regional security and economic reforms.

According to the US Treasury Department’s statement, Bessent outlined Washington’s expectations regarding Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s reform agenda.

The two officials held a frank discussion covering a range of issues, including Shia pilgrimages to the holy city of Najaf and Iraq’s ongoing progress in demilitarising Iran-linked armed groups.

Iran urges Iraq to lift flight ban amid US sanctions

Iran has called on Iraq to lift remaining flight restrictions caused by US sanctions and fully restore normal air travel between the two countries after services partially resumed at one Iraqi airport this week.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned Washington’s “illegal and inhumane” efforts to disrupt Iran’s trade and air transport through the “extraterritorial enforcement” of US sanctions and urged Baghdad to remove the restrictions.

It said the movement of millions of Iranian and Iraqi citizens required “an independent and responsible approach” to disagreements between the two governments.

Iraq grants Iranian airlines 40 daily flights via Najaf Airport, Mahan Air excluded

Iraq has announced an agreement allowing Iranian airlines to operate 40 flights daily to and from Najaf International Airport, excluding Mahan Air, after Washington granted Baghdad a requested exemption.

In a statement, Iraq’s Prime Minister’s Office said flights focused on moving tourists, religious and regular tourists will resume.

Iraq had earlier suspended flights to Iran after Washington sanctioned entities working with Iranian airlines. The move had prompted protests in Iraq, and calls from Tehran to lift restrictions.

Flights remain suspended at Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports, forcing passengers onto land journeys of at least 12 hours and disrupting pilgrim traffic between the Shia-majority areas.

Earlier this week, Iraqi Airways resumed commercial flights between the central province of Najaf and Iranian airports, according to the country’s state-run Iraqi News Agency.

Iraqi FM reaffirms Baghdad security role in meeting with US Treasury Secretary

The Iraqi Embassy in Washington, DC says the country’s foreign minister has “reaffirmed Iraq’s commitment to confining arms and decisions of war and peace exclusively to the hands of the state”, in a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

In a post on X, the mission said, “The Foreign Minister expressed Iraq’s deep appreciation for the United States and the International Coalition for the support and sacrifices they provided in defeating the ISIS [ISIL] organization.”

Baghdad commends US sanctions exemption for flights to Iraq’s holy sites

Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Fuad Hussein has commended US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the US decision to exempt flights to Iraq’s holy sites from US sanctions on Iran.

In a post on X, Hussein said he met Bessent in Washington on Thursday and discussed “the impact of the sanctions on Najaf Airport in particular, given it’s vital, particularity for Iraq.” He said Bessent “understood the Iraqi request and agreed to exempt flights to the holy sites from the sanctions”.

Hussein said he also discussed how sanctions imposed on Iran affect Iraq and thanked the US and the international coalition for their support in the fight against ISIL (ISIS). He said he reaffirmed the Iraqi government’s commitment to “confining weapons and decisions of war and peace to the hands of the state and its constitutional institutions.”

He said he commended the US government and the Treasury Department for their understanding of “the importance of respecting religious freedom and facilitating access for visitors to the holy sites and resuming flights to them.”

Following the exemption, Iraq has said it will allow Iranian airlines to operate 40 flights daily to and from Najaf International Airport, excluding US-sanctioned Mahan Air.