Iran airlines suspend more international flights as US sanctions take effect

An Iranian woman walks past a mural of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on September 23, 2026. Iranian airlines were forced to cancel some international flights on Wednesday after the US tightened sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry in a new effort to cripple its economy. — AFP pic

First Published: Wednesday, 23 Sep 2026 6:27 PM MYT

TEHRAN, Sept 23 — Iranian airlines were forced to cancel some international flights on Wednesday after the US tightened sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry in a new effort to cripple its economy.

A travel agent in Tehran told AFP that flights to Baghdad, Muscat, Qatar, Georgia and Azerbaijan had all been suspended, but routes to multiple other destinations remained available, including China.

US 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 their nearly seven-month war.

But Iran’s aviation sector has already been a target of sanctions for years, and it remains unclear what the full impact will be and whether other countries will comply.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Bessent on Monday vowed to “shut down” Iranian carriers and punish anyone doing business with them.

“If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,” he warned other countries.

The restrictions will further complicate the ability of Iranians to travel abroad or return to their country.

Pilgrims 

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.

“Other international flights, including Istanbul, will operate as scheduled and as usual, and at present there are no problems with these flights,” Tasnim said.

According to Tasnim, Iran’s aviation authorities are in talks to reroute Baghdad flights to Najaf, a major destination for Iranian pilgrims.

In Iraq, while the government has not publicly announced plans to enforce the ban, several sources including a senior government official told AFP that Baghdad would comply with the US measures.

The prospect of a suspension of flights between the two countries has sparked concerns from some Iraqi travel agents.

In Najaf, home to one of the most revered Shia Muslim shrines, agent Haidar Shamaa said “most travel companies in the city depend on booking flights” to Iranian airports.

Several travel agencies said panicked clients were calling for updates and were considering switching to land routes, which would mean much longer journeys. — AFP