Iraq asks US to let some Iranian pilgrim flights keep flying

Fact-check index: 68/100 — The article's core claims align with the headlines in the source material, but several specific details (pilgrim traffic volume, causal link between Baghdad's request and stopped flights, pharmaceutical ingredient imports) go beyond what the brief source snippets confirm.

• Iraq is negotiating with Washington for a sanctions exemption to keep Iranian flights landing — Matches The National headline 'Iraq seeks US sanctions exemption for Iranian flights' (cited).
• US sanctions on Iranian aviation grounded flights to an Iraqi holy city — Matches The National headline 'Iran fumes as US sanctions stop flights to holy city in Iraq' (cited).
• Iran/Tehran reacted furiously/angrily — Matches 'Iran fumes...' headline (cited).
• The corridor carries millions of Shia pilgrims from Iran into Iraq's holy cities each year, with Iranian carriers flying much of that traffic — Only a headline is available for this National article; the specific pilgrim volume and traffic-share figures aren't established by the snippet provided.
• Sanctions have already stopped some flights, which is why Baghdad rather than Tehran is asking Washington for relief — That flights were stopped and Iraq is the one requesting exemption are both supported by headlines, but the causal 'which is why' framing is the article's own inference, not directly sourced.
• Other countries have also suspended Iranian flights over the sanctions — Matches NHK headline 'Countries suspend Iranian flights over US sanctions' (cited).
• Medicines are running short inside Iran as sanctions complicate imports of drugs — Matches FT headline 'Medicines run short in Iran under US sanctions' (cited).
• Sanctions complicate imports of pharmaceutical ingredients specifically — The FT headline only mentions 'medicines'; the added detail about ingredient imports isn't confirmed by the headline-only snippet.
• Hypothesis that Washington has tightened enforcement rather than left the sanctions regime static — Explicitly framed as speculative by the article itself, with the piece noting no cited report points to a new executive order; appropriately hedged rather than asserted as fact.
• What to watch: whether Washington grants the exemption and whether the medicine shortage becomes grounds for a humanitarian carve-out — Forward-looking speculation not established by any cited source.