Iranian carriers cancelled a string of international flights on Wednesday after the United States activated new sanctions designed to shut the country's aviation industry out of global airspace. Seven months into the US–Iran war, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had warned on Monday that every Iranian airline would be forced out of the skies from Wednesday, with secondary sanctions hitting any foreign company that fuels them, handles landings or sells their tickets — on pain of being cut off from the dollar system.
The immediate effect was patchy rather than total. A Tehran-based agent told AFP that routes to Baghdad, Muscat, Qatar, Georgia and Azerbaijan had been suspended, though some Istanbul flights and connections to China were still going ahead. A Mahan Air service — one of Iran's largest carriers — touched down in Guangzhou despite the measures, and a Shanghai departure was scheduled. Smaller operators such as Varesh were still flying to Türkiye and Armenia, and flights to Najaf in Iraq and Dubai were listed. Iraq's Baghdad and Muscat airports were reported to have stopped accepting Iranian flights, with Tehran in talks to reroute pilgrim traffic to Najaf instead.
Tehran's response was blunt. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, threatened on state TV to paralyse the airports of any neighbour that cooperates with Washington against Iranian flights.
The human fallout is already visible. Travel agencies in Tehran have stopped selling tickets altogether to avoid refunding cancellations, describing the situation as unstable. In Najaf — a major destination for Iranian religious travellers, home to one of Shia Islam's most revered shrines — agents say most of their business depends on flights to Iran, and panicked clients are asking about switching to overland routes that would stretch journeys from hours into days.
For travellers, the message is simple: avoid booking anything touching Iranian airspace or Iranian carriers for now, including codeshares involving airlines like Mahan. Routes between the Gulf, Iraq and Türkiye could be disrupted at short notice if neighbouring governments cave to the sanctions, and transit through the region may get messier. If you have a trip booked that involves Iran, talk to your agent or airline now, keep an eye on official civil aviation updates, and build in overland contingency plans where possible. Anyone counting on Tehran–Baghdad, Tehran–Dubai or Tehran–Istanbul connections this month should assume nothing is guaranteed.
