Iraq in Talks With US to Exempt Some Airports From Anti-Iran Air Restrictions

The significance here is less about Iran Air than about how US sanctions enforcement can be negotiated airport by airport, turning civil aviation access into a bargaining chip between Washington and Baghdad. Iraq's request tests whether the US is willing to grant carve-outs that soften the regional air blockade without lifting it. The open question is whether any exemption materializes and how narrowly it is drawn, since that would signal how much flexibility Washington is prepared to extend to a government that maintains ties with Tehran.