Evidence

Multiple independent outlets corroborate this claim. Al Jazeera reported 'Iran threatens widespread disruption as Iraq halts Iran flights' after Iraq suspended Iranian flights at Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports following expanded US sanctions on Iran's aviation sector. Iran International, the National Iranian American Council's newsletter, Ynetnews and Kurdistan24 all reported that senior Iranian officials — including Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council — publicly warned that if Iranian airlines lost access to regional airports due to US sanctions enforcement, other countries' airports in the region would also be unable to operate normally. Mokhber was quoted saying flights in the region must be 'free and open to everyone, or to no one.' No dedicated fact-check from Reuters, AFP, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo specifically addressing this claim was found, but the underlying event and threat are documented by several independent news organizations reporting on the same statements.