TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Hossein Simaei-Sarraf, has said the disruptions to flights between Iran and Iraq would be resolved soon, paving the way for Iraqi students to return to Iranian universities.
More than 50,000 Iraqi students are currently studying at universities across Iran, he said on the sidelines of a meeting with Iraqi Ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdul Zahra al-Hajjaj.
Simaei-Sarraf added that efforts were being made to create a negative atmosphere around academic ties between Iran and Iraq, adding that some parties seek to portray Iran as an unsafe destination for Iraqi students.
“The Iranian people are hospitable,” he said, stressing that such efforts should not undermine the longstanding academic and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
The disruption to air travel followed a September 8 warning by the U.S. Treasury Department that airports providing services to 27 Iranian airlines could face secondary sanctions. Iraqi authorities subsequently ordered aviation officials at airports in Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk to suspend flights operated by Iranian carriers.
The suspension has stranded thousands of passengers, including religious pilgrims, students and people traveling to Iraq for medical treatment.
The Iranian minister said thousands of Iraqi students would continue their studies at Iranian universities during the new academic year. He also referred to the allocation of 200 scholarships for Iraqi students as part of efforts to further strengthen academic exchanges between the two countries.
Iran has attracted students from 101 countries despite existing challenges, Saeed Habiba, head of the Organization of Student Affairs, said in October 2025.
He said the scientific capabilities of Iranian universities and their positive record in international cooperation constitute a valuable opportunity that should be leveraged to turn the presence of international students into a national discourse and a basis for strategic planning.
According to Habiba, foreign students studying in Iran mainly come from Afghanistan, India, Iraq, and Pakistan.
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