U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Iraq's Fly Baghdad Airline After Review

The United States has lifted sanctions targeting Iraq's Fly Baghdad airline, which Washington had previously designated over alleged links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Agence France-Presse (AFP).

An aircraft operated by Iraq's Fly Baghdad airline, which has been removed from the U.S. Treasury's sanctions list. [Photo: Anna Zvereva, Wikimedia Commons]

In an update to its website, the U.S. Treasury Department removed Fly Baghdad and two of its aircraft from its sanctions list but maintained sanctions against Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani, who had previously been identified as the company's owner.

The United States originally designated the airline, its aircraft and al-Shabbani in January 2024, alleging that they provided support to the IRGC's Quds Force and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

A U.S. Treasury official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the airline had been removed following the department's administrative reconsideration process.

"FBA (Fly Baghdad Airlines) has demonstrated major changes to their operations such that their listing is no longer warranted," the official said.