First foreign commercial flight lands in Iran since Middle East war began

A passenger plane belonging to Iraq's national airline landed in Tehran on Thursday following a special exemption granted by the United States.

This is the first foreign commercial flight to land in Iran since the war began in the Middle East.

According to Iranian state television, the plane, which flew from Najaf in Iraq, landed safely at Imam Khomeini International Airport in the morning. The flight, which carried passengers to Tehran, was operated to return to Najaf as well.

According to Iraqi officials, the exemption was granted mainly to allow pilgrims to travel between Najaf, a holy site for Shia Muslims, and Iran. Iraq's Ministry of Transport had said last month that it had received the exemption from the United States.