Iran airlines cancel flights as U.S. sanctions hit

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference during the G7 Leaders' Summit on June 17, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Photo by Anna Moneymaker /Getty Images

Article content

Iranian airlines were forced to cancel some international flights on Wednesday after the U.S. tightened sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry in a new effort to cripple its economy.

Article content

Georgia and Azerbaijan have officially confirmed suspending flights, and a travel agent in Tehran told AFP that flights to Baghdad, Muscat and Qatar were also halted, though routes to other destinations remained available, including China.

Article content

Article content

Article content

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the new measures on Monday as part of an earlier threat to impose “economic D-Day” on Iran, an attempt to force it into submission following nearly seven months of war.

Article content

Article content

But Iran’s aviation sector has already been a target of sanctions for years, and it remains to be seen which other countries will comply.

Article content

On Wednesday, the head of Iran’s top national security body threatened reciprocal action against those that do.

Article content

Even after the new sanctions took effect on Wednesday, a flight from Tehran operated by Mahan Air, one of Iran’s biggest carriers, landed in Guangzhou in China, according to tracking data from FlightRadar24.

Article content

China said on Tuesday that it opposed the US sanctions, calling them illegal. A flight to Shanghai was also due to depart on Wednesday, according to Tehran’s international airport.

Article content

Some flights to Istanbul were also scheduled, though others had been cancelled, the travel agent in Tehran told AFP.

Article content

“The situation is unstable and we are no longer selling tickets for the time being for fear of cancellations,” the agent said, requesting anonymity.

Article content

Article content

A Mahan flight from Kabul was also expected to arrive in Tehran. According to the website for Tehran’s international airport, other connections to Turkey and Armenia remained possible using smaller Iranian airlines, including Varesh.

Article content

Article content

Flights to Najaf in Iraq and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates were also scheduled.

Article content

Bessent had vowed on Monday to “shut down” Iranian carriers, saying anyone doing business with them “will be knocked out of the dollar system”.

Article content

Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s supreme national security council, warned neighbouring countries not to comply.

Article content

“If a country cooperates with or embarks on adventures with the United States, its airports will no longer be able to operate flights” to Iran, he said in an interview with state TV.

Article content

Pilgrims

Article content

Iranian media also reported cancellations, with the Tasnim news agency on Tuesday citing a civil aviation spokesman as saying that Baghdad and Muscat airports “will no longer accept” Iranian flights.

Article content

The agency added that “other international flights, including Istanbul, will operate as scheduled”.