Arab News | What we know about US sanctions on Iranian aviation

PARIS: As the United States celebrates the success of its sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector, Iran in turn boasts that it continues to serve some 30 international destinations from Tehran alone.

Here is what we know about the situation:

‘SHUT DOWN’

In early September, the US imposed sanctions on Iran’s entire aviation sector, part of a campaign that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said would result in the “economic asphyxiation” of the Islamic republic.

Washington gave foreign companies until September 23 to comply, after which Bessent vowed that all Iranian airlines would “be shut down around the world.”

“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 added.

Denouncing the US action as illegal, Tehran on Monday announced that it lodged a complaint with the United Nations, as well as with the International Court of Justice.

TEHRAN FLIGHTS HALVED

According to the tracking website Flightradar24, a total of 41 flights took off or landed at Tehran’s international airport on Sunday.

This compares to an average of 80-90 daily flights during the two days before the sanctions went into effect.

The two main Iranian airlines, national carrier Iran Air and the privately owned Mahan Air, were the hardest hit.

Of the 24 flights that took off from Tehran airport on Sunday, only five were operated by Mahan Air and two by Iran Air, compared to about 10 departures they operated each before the sanctions.

The figures are both higher than those offered by Bessent — who said 80 to 90 percent of flights had been grounded — and lower than the 60 flights that Tehran airport claimed it operated on Sunday.

The airport director was quoted by state television as saying that “more than 30 international destinations were still being served.”

CHINA, RUSSIA AND TURKIYE DEFY SANCTIONS

Beijing, a key economic ally of Tehran, has rejected outright the US sanctions as “illegal and unilateral,” with Mahan Air flights continuing to serve Chinese airports.

Flights to Russia and Pakistan also continue, though neither country has commented on the sanctions.

Mahan Air has however halted flights to Turkiye, at the request of Turkish authorities, according to the airline.

Iran Air nonetheless maintains daily flights to Istanbul, alongside a number of smaller Iranian carriers which also serve other Turkish cities.

The sanctions have not been applied yet in Armenia, Afghanistan, Belarus and Malaysia, which are primarily served by smaller Iranian airlines.

Washington has yet to announce whether it will retaliate against countries that do not comply with the sanctions.

GULF COUNTRIES

The United Arab Emirates, a key hub for Iranian travelers hoping to reach Europe, Asia or Africa, has suspended all Iranian flights to and from its territory “until further notice.”

A source in the Kuwaiti Directorate General of Civil Aviation told AFP on Monday that Iranian airlines have been banned from entering Kuwait since the early days of the war seven months ago.

Other Gulf countries have made no announcements but have suspended flights, according to their airport websites.

Iran’s ISNA news agency, citing airport authorities, said Iranian flights could no longer travel to Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Iraq, which is nonetheless seeking an exemption from sanctions.

IRAQ SEEKS GRACE FOR PILGRIMS

The Iraqi government said Saturday it was in talks with the United States to seek an exemption from sanctions on Iranian airlines, which have disrupted travel for patients, students and pilgrims.

“The Iraqi government is holding direct talks with the American side to exempt certain Iraqi airports from these measures,” the prime minister’s media office said.

An exemption, it added, would allow flights to resume “for humanitarian reasons, including medical treatment, education, religious visits, and for the interest of civilians.”

Iranian airlines mainly carry Iraqi Shia pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities or Iranians visiting sacred sites in Iraq. The flights also serve Iraqi students studying in Iran and patients seeking medical treatment there.