U.S. Sanctions Shut Down Iran’s Air Links... International Flights Canceled En Masse as Isolation Deepens

[Financial News]  The United States has begun fully enforcing sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry, leading to a wave of cancellations of international flights to and from Iran. The Donald Trump administration is now blocking air routes after imposing a maritime blockade, and analysts say its “economic D-Day” operation to isolate Iran is gathering pace.
According to major foreign media outlets, including the Financial Times (FT) and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), foreign companies that provide Iranian airlines with fueling, landing services, ground handling and ticket sales became subject to U.S. secondary boycotts, or third-party sanctions, on the 23rd (local time). They now face the risk of being shut out of the global dollar-based financial system.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took a hard line, saying, "Every Iranian airline around the world will be forced to stop operating." Earlier this month, the United States placed dozens of airlines on its blacklist, alleging that Iranian commercial aircraft had been used to transport weapons and personnel.
Following Washington’s stern warning, neighboring countries are one after another severing their air links with Iran. According to Iran’s civil aviation authorities and foreign media reports, flights to Muscat, Oman, and Baghdad, Iraq, were canceled as of the 23rd, while Azerbaijan completely banned Iranian airlines from operating at its airports. Georgia also halted commercial flights to its capital, Tbilisi.
Iran’s largest private airline, Mahan Air, which has long been under sanctions, independently suspended services to Turkey, including Istanbul and Ankara, as well as Oman.
The measures are expected to deal a direct blow to Iran’s already poor aviation infrastructure, which has suffered from decades of sanctions and war damage. Experts warned that Iran’s population of 90 million would be hit hard in obtaining essential medicines and traveling abroad. They also cautioned that, if the sanctions persist, Iranian airlines could effectively become domestic-only carriers.
However, Iran’s air links have not been completely sealed off. According to Flightradar24, a real-time flight-tracking website, some flights still operated on the 23rd, the day the sanctions took effect, from Tehran to major hub airports including Istanbul and Dubai in the UAE.
China and Russia, in particular, have resisted the U.S.-led sanctions and continue to allow Mahan Air and other Iranian airlines to operate. China’s Foreign Ministry made clear that it would not join the sanctions, stating, "Lawful and friendly exchanges between China and Iran are based on mutual respect."
Meanwhile, the final positions of Turkey and the UAE, which maintain active economic ties with Iran, are seen as the biggest variables. Turkish authorities appear to be cooperating with financial sanctions, recently revoking the licenses of Iranian banks under U.S. pressure. However, given the nearly 3 million Iranian tourists and the scale of exchanges between the two countries, Turkey is reportedly taking a cautious stance on a complete suspension of flights.

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter