According to media reports, Tehran International Airport has banned all flights to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad until further notice due to a deteriorating security situation in the area.
Demonstrators stormed the Republican Palace in Baghdad’s Green Zone earlier in the day, hours after powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada Al Sadr declared his definitive retirement from politics and the closing of all party offices amid threats of bodily extermination.
Riots have also seized other areas in Iraq, particularly in the country’s south, which is controlled by the Shiite majority.
Iraqi authorities issued a national curfew beginning at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT) and lasting until further notice.
Meanwhile, the Iranian authorities have blocked all border checkpoints with Iraq, according to the Qatari channel.
Iraq has been in a political stalemate since the October 2021 legislative elections. After many failed attempts to create a government, Al Sadr’s political coalition retreated to the opposition in May and stood down in June.
Emirates, Dubai’s long-haul airline, halted flights to Baghdad on Tuesday due to the ongoing turmoil in Iraq. The airline stated that it was “closely monitoring the issue.”
It was not specified if flights will restart on Wednesday.
Protesters loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who resigned Monday, used ropes to break down the cement barricades outside the government palace and breach the palace gates. Many people poured inside the palace’s magnificent salons and marbled hallways, a significant gathering location for Iraqi heads of state and international guests.
As a consequence of the violence, Iraq’s military declared a statewide curfew, and the caretaker prime minister cancelled Cabinet proceedings. According to medical officials, scores of protestors were injured by gunshots, tear gas, and physical altercations with riot police.
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