BAGHDAD — In a strong rebuke of the Iraqi government’s capitulation to American imperialism, the office of prominent Iraqi Marja’ Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi has fiercely condemned Baghdad’s decision to close its airspace to Iranian aircraft in compliance with US sanctions.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Marja’s office stressed that submitting to Washington’s unilateral sanctions runs directly counter to the will of the Iraqi public, the directives of the religious authorities, and the deep, fraternal ties that bind the Iraqi and Iranian nations.
The statement also sharply criticised the resulting restrictions on religious tourism, specifically the shutting of airspace and border crossings to pilgrims seeking to visit Iraq’s holy shrines. Ayatollah Al-Modarresi’s office demanded that Iraqi authorities immediately reverse these hostile measures and ease entry for pilgrims through all available crossings, upholding the Islamic duty of facilitating Ziyarat.
Echoing these sentiments, Sayyed Abdul Qader al-Hassani al-Alousi, head of Iraq’s Rabat al-Mohammadi Council of Scholars, denounced the airspace ban as “a historic mistake that strikes at Iraq’s religious identity.”
The controversial ban highlights the ongoing pressure the Iraqi government faces from Washington. Earlier Saturday, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi admitted that Baghdad is currently engaged in direct talks with the US to seek exemptions for certain airports. The government claims it is requesting authorisation to resume flights strictly for “humanitarian purposes,” such as medical treatments and education, a move critics view as further validation of unacceptable US overreach into Iraqi sovereignty.
Across Iraq, various political factions, officials, and resistance-aligned groups have similarly condemned the closure of airports to Iranian flights, urging the government to assert its national independence, reject American diktats, and honour the unbreakable bonds with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Reference: Al-Mayadeen