Iran threatens neighbors’ airports if they cooperate with US flight sanctions

Iran warned neighboring countries on Wednesday that their airports would face action if they cooperate with new US sanctions on Iranian aviation. Georgia and Azerbaijan suspended Iranian flights as the sanctions took effect. China called the measures illegal, while some routes to Turkey and China remained open.

Iran threatened neighboring countries on Wednesday that their airports would face consequences if they cooperate with the United States in enforcing new flight sanctions against Iranian airlines. The warning came from Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an interview with state television. The sanctions, announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, took effect September 23 and target Iranian airlines with secondary sanctions against companies providing aviation services. Georgia and Azerbaijan officially confirmed suspending Iranian flights. A travel agent in Tehran told AFP that flights to Baghdad, Muscat, and Qatar had also been halted, though routes to China and some to Turkey remained available. China opposed the sanctions, calling them illegal. The situation remained fluid, with some flights to Istanbul still scheduled while others were canceled. Iranian media reported that flights to Najaf in Iraq were operating normally despite uncertainty over Iraqi compliance. The sanctions are part of what Bessent called an 'economic D-Day' for Iran.