Adnan Faihan Al-Dulaimi, the First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, criticized the plan to ban Iranian flights, describing the decision as "hasty and unprofessional" and warned about its negative consequences on his country's economy.
Criticism of Unprofessional Decisions
Al-Dulaimi stated that Iraq's decisions should be made based on national interests and the constitutional commitments of the country. He emphasized that "America's unilateral sanctions do not constitute an international obligation for Iraq and are not sufficient on their own to justify taking actions against Iran." According to him, any anti-Iranian action requires the existence of an Iraqi legal document or a binding international commitment regarding Iraq.
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Consequences of the Flight Ban
Al-Dulaimi also pointed to the detrimental effects of this ban on the movement of citizens of both countries, stating: "This ban will affect the movement of hundreds of thousands of Iranian and Iraqi pilgrims between the two countries, especially at the airports in Baghdad and Najaf." He raised the question, "What is the government's plan to compensate tourism companies, hoteliers, and businesses affected by this decision?"
The First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament further emphasized that the halt of Iranian flights will directly negatively impact the pilgrimage tourism sector, commercial revenues, airlines, and the travel industry.
Dependency on Iranian Gas and Potential Risks
He also referred to Iraq's energy sector's dependency on Iranian gas and stressed that the Iraqi government should prepare a scenario for reciprocal action in case of a halt in natural gas exports from Iran. Al-Dulaimi warned that "a complete cutoff of Iranian gas could lead to a loss of 30 to 40 percent of the operational capacity of Iraq's national electricity grid."
According to him, halting imports of Iranian gas will significantly increase power outage hours and paralyze vital sectors such as hospitals, water supply stations, and other public services.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced on Friday, October 3rd, the suspension of the display and sale of tickets for flights to Iraq, especially Najaf Ashraf, until further notice, emphasizing the full refund of tickets for suspended flights without penalty. Following the suspension of flights from Friday morning, this authority has informed airlines to stop displaying and selling tickets for today and the coming days.
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