Two Iraqi government sources told Agence France-Presse on Monday, September 21, that Baghdad would suspend flights by Iranian airlines following an announcement by the US Treasury secretary that sanctioned Iranian companies would be “shut down” worldwide within two days.

One Iraqi official said: “Starting Tuesday morning, Iraq will enforce a ban on Iranian airlines in accordance with the US Treasury Department’s decision.”

The official warned: “Countries that fail to implement this decision will face sanctions.”

A second government source confirmed the remarks.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said hours earlier that all Iranian airlines would be “shut down worldwide” from September 23, and that companies failing to enforce the restrictions would be excluded from the US dollar-based financial system.

The US Treasury secretary was referring to the imposition of secondary sanctions on all Iranian airlines as part of an economic pressure campaign against Iran known as “Operation Economic Exclusion.”