Shafaq News- Najaf/ Basra

Dozens of teachers and students from Najaf’s religious seminaries protested on Saturday against the suspension of Iranian flights to Iraq.

During the protest, members of the Scholars’ Assembly in Najaf condemned the suspension, arguing that regional countries need greater cooperation rather than “external pressure and dictates.”

The group called on the Iraqi government to review the measures and safeguard the country’s sovereignty and independent decision-making. Iraq’s relations with Iran, it said, are shaped by religious, geographic, historical and economic ties.

In Basra, several lawmakers held a conference to discuss the consequences of the government’s decision to suspend Iranian flights and related services.

The MPs warned that the measure could affect students, patients and other travelers, as well as economic activity, and called for Iraq’s national interests and sovereignty to be taken into account.

Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Kazem Al-Sadegh said that Tehran remains in talks with Iraqi officials over flights between the two countries, with a new decision possible in the coming period, adding that around 12,000 to 13,000 people travel daily between Iran and Iraq on Iranian airlines.

"Iranian officials have submitted proposals to their Iraqi counterparts, and they expect to announce further measures on flights soon," he said.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s office said that Iraq is in talks with the United States to exempt some airports from measures targeting Iranian airlines and restore flights for medical treatment, education, religious visits, and other civilian travel.