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US Lifts Sanctions on Fly Baghdad Airlines
Confirmed
In Short: The U.S. Treasury Department has removed counter-terrorism sanctions from Iraq's Fly Baghdad Airlines and two aircraft, citing changes in the airline's behavior, without indicating any shift in U.S. policy towards Iran.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday the removal of counter-terrorism sanctions from Iraq's Fly Baghdad Airlines and two aircraft, which were previously imposed in 2024 due to links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. This move, according to a Treasury official, does not reflect any change in U.S. policy towards Iran or its designated terrorist organizations and is unrelated to ongoing negotiations with Iran.
The sanctions were lifted as part of the Office of Foreign Assets Control's reconsideration process for airlines that have demonstrated behavior changes. However, the specific changes that warranted the lifting of sanctions were not disclosed, and sanctions could be reimposed at any time, as noted by the official.
The decision to remove Fly Baghdad from the Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals list is part of a broader process to reassess sanctions based on the airline's behavior, rather than indicating any broader policy shift towards Iran or its military branches.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Finance Minister, Falih Al-Sari, has called for the expediting of customs automation and the extension of the ASYCUDA system to border crossings in the Kurdistan Region, aiming to unify customs operations and boost non-oil income.
Background
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known domestically as Sepah or Pasdaran and internationally as Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary force of the Iranian Armed Forces. It consists of five service branches: Ground Forces, Aerospace Force, Navy, Quds Force, and Basij.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Aug 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury said on Wednesday it had removed counter-terrorism sanctions from Iraq's Fly Baghdad Airlines and two aircraft that were imposed in 2024 over links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary…
- A Treasury official said that the move was not indicative of any shift in U.S. policy towards Iran's government, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards or any organization designatedas terrorist and was unrelated to U.S.…
- The removal of Fly Baghdad Airlines Co (FBA), Iraq Express and two Boeing 737 aircraft from the Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals list was part of the Office of Foreign Assets Control's process to reconsider…
- No details were provided on the specific FBA changes that warranted the lifting of sanctions, and the official said that sanctions could be reimposed at any time. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Ismail Shakil and…
- Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Finance Minister Falih Al-Sari has called for expediting customs automation and extending the ASYCUDA system to border crossings in the Kurdistan Region, as Baghdad strives to unify…
- The Finance Minister also emphasized the necessity to implement the system at border crossings in the Kurdistan Region, which would integrate federal and regional customs operations under a more unified digital…