🔻Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a lengthy statement, has asked Iraq to take “appropriate action” in response to U.S. pressure to cancel flights and economic and religious exchanges between the two countries.

At the same time, Scott Bessent, the Deputy Treasury Secretary in the Trump administration, has spoken with Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister, in a meeting that was reported to have focused on issues related to Iran and what the United States calls “economic elimination operations.”

On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department also announced the expansion of the scope of sanctions against Iran to rail transportation and the country’s automotive industry.

The suspension of Iran’s flights to Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf, which occurred following the U.S. sanctions on Iranian airlines, has faced a sharp reaction from Iran in recent days.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Iraq had been able to obtain a one-month exemption from the United States for Iran’s flights to Najaf.

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