The Jerusalem Post says Washington 'considers' a Najaf flight waiver, Reuters says it was 'set to grant' one on Monday, and Anadolu says flights have already resumed

Three stages, one decision. The reports disagree on whether anything has happened yet.

Where two agree. The Jerusalem Post and Reuters both say the waiver would let Iraqi Airways fly between Iran and Najaf "for one month", with "a more permanent waiver potentially" to follow. Each rests on one unnamed source.

What Anadolu adds. It is the only report to mention a halt. It says Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Oman and the UAE "suspended flights to and from Iran following US sanctions". It gives no date.

The order of publication. Anadolu's "resumes" headline appeared at 18:32 UTC. That was before Reuters said the waiver was only "set" to be granted (18:46 UTC), and before The Jerusalem Post said it was being "considered" (20:17 UTC).

What is not settled - Whether the Treasury has issued the waiver. No report quotes the Treasury. - Whether any flight has actually flown. Only one headline says so, and it gives no source. - When Iraq suspended the flights, and for how long. - How many pilgrims are affected. No report gives a number.

What this is about. Whether the United States will let Iraq's state airline fly pilgrims between Iran and the Iraqi city of Najaf without breaking US sanctions on Iran.

How it got here. The United States has sanctioned Iran in some form since the 1979 revolution and the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran. In 2015 Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, under a deal known as the JCPOA. In May 2018, in his first term, President Donald Trump took the United States out of that deal and reimposed sanctions. These are "secondary" sanctions: they can penalise companies and governments in other countries that deal with Iran, and not only Americans. In his second term, which began in January 2025, Mr Trump returned to a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran. Anadolu Agency says that Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Oman and the UAE suspended flights to Iran "following US sanctions". It does not say when.

The actors. - The US Treasury administers sanctions. It can issue waivers or licences that exempt specific activity. - Iraq is a close partner of the United States. It also borders Iran, trades heavily with it and has close ties to Tehran. It is majority Shi'ite, as Iran is. - Iraqi Airways is Iraq's state-owned national carrier. - Najaf holds the shrine of Imam Ali, one of the holiest sites in Shi'ite Islam. Every year it draws large numbers of pilgrims, many of them from Iran.

What is at stake. For pilgrims, the question is whether a direct flight is available. For Iraq, it is whether its national airline can serve its neighbour without being penalised. For Washington, a carve-out would be a narrow exception to a pressure policy. According to Reuters' one source, a longer waiver could follow.

Where it stands. On 28 September, one report said the waiver was under consideration and another said it was due that day. A third said flights had already resumed. No report cites an official statement.