US closes in on Iranian aviation: 27 companies under sanctions

The US has imposed sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines, in a move described as a conceptual shift that expands American pressure to the civilian aviation sector. The step aims to disrupt Iran's supply chains, expose the dual civilian-military use of companies like Mahan Air and Iran Air, and create an economic-logistical pincer effect alongside pressure on oil exports.

The US has imposed sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines, in a move described as a conceptual shift that expands American pressure to the civilian aviation sector. According to the analysis, the step goes beyond a ban on landings in the West, and includes an enforcement mechanism against third parties: Washington issued a warning that significant cooperation with Iranian airlines could expose them to secondary sanctions and disconnection from the US financial system. Airports in the UAE, Turkey, and Central Asia may need to reconsider services for Iranian aircraft. The analysis reveals the artificial separation Tehran cultivated between civilian and military aviation: companies like Mahan Air, Pouya Air, and Iran Air served as logistical platforms for the Revolutionary Guards, including transporting cash, weapons, and drone components. The move creates a pincer effect alongside pressure on oil exports, harms Iran's ability to smuggle cash, and deepens the foreign currency shortage. However, the analysis assesses that the step's impact as an immediate catalyst for the regime's collapse is limited, but as a catalyst for systemic erosion over time—it is more significant.