The United States sanctioned all 27 of Iran’s remaining active airlines on September 8, alongside a network of foreign intermediaries. The sweeping aviation crackdown under President Donald Trump’s Operation Economic Outcast aims to cut Tehran off from international trade and aviation networks globally.
Washington has escalated its economic pressure campaign against Tehran by targeting every active commercial carrier remaining in the country. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 36 targets on September 8, sweeping up 27 Iranian airlines as well as foreign companies and an individual accused of procuring aircraft and parts for Iranian networks.
The action marks the first time Washington has used a new August 24 determination targeting Iran’s aviation sector to sanction the country’s remaining airlines. Treasury said the sector is used by the Iranian government to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Warns Global Financial System
The sanctions arrive under the banner of President Donald Trump’s Operation Economic Outcast, an initiative announced by Bessent on August 24 as part of a campaign to sever what Washington describes as the Iranian regime’s remaining economic lifelines. Officials delivered a blunt warning to international partners and aviation service providers still interacting with Iranian carriers.
“Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system,”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, via RFE/RL
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement that Washington will not relent in shutting down the regime’s financial lifelines, including the aviation sector. The designated carriers span a broad swath of Iran’s commercial aviation sector, including major operators like Iran Aseman Airlines, Iran Airtour, Kish Airlines, Qeshm Air, Karun Airlines, Sepehran Airlines, Taban Airlines, Varesh Airlines, Zagros Airlines, Chabahar Airlines, Fly Persia, and Saha Airlines, formally known as the Armed Forces Air Transport Service. Other carriers sanctioned include Air Shiraz, Ava Airlines, Fly Kish, Mehr Airways, Raimon Airways, and Soroush Air, alongside Asa Jet Airline, Ata Airlines Company, Atlas Aviation Group, Chabahar Airlines Company, Erwan Airline Company, Jsky Airlines, Lad Airways, and Nasim Air.
Foreign Intermediaries and the Mahan Air Procurement Network
Beyond domestic carriers, the Treasury Department targeted an international network of foreign companies and individuals that Washington accuses of assisting Iran’s aviation procurement. Special focus remained on Mahan Air, which has been under U.S. counterterrorism sanctions since 2011. Washington accuses the carrier of providing logistical support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), including by transporting personnel, weapons, and military equipment.
Photo: indiatoday.in
The Treasury said Mahan Air received at least three Boeing 777 aircraft this summer through a route involving the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The UAE-based ECT Aviation Support and Turkey-based Sky Phoenix were identified as intermediaries in what Washington described as a scheme to transfer U.S.-origin aircraft to Mahan Air. ECT Aviation Support’s owner and chief executive, Egyptian national Mahran Ibrahim Ali Mohamed Mahran, was also sanctioned. Other foreign companies targeted include Malaysia-based iCargo, Kazakhstan-based Tour Invest, and Turkish firms MES Cargo and S Sistem Logistics. Treasury said the companies provided general sales, cargo, logistics, or other services to Mahan Air. S Sistem, for example, was accused of coordinating shipments of unmanned aerial vehicle components and industrial equipment destined for Iran. Treasury said iCargo had coordinated shipments of U.S.-origin parts to Iran on Mahan Air’s behalf.
Global Reach and the Impact on International Air Links
The sanctions carry profound weight because modern commercial aviation relies heavily on U.S.-origin equipment and technology. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, told RFE/RL that the measures could have a broad impact because of the extent to which international aviation relies on U.S.-origin equipment and technology.
US Imposes Sweeping Sanctions On Iran’s Remaining Commercial Airlines Amid Escalating Tensions | NXW
“Treasury’s action today designated every remaining Iranian airline and pulled the authorizations that let foreign carriers fly U.S.-origin aircraft into Iran. Nearly every commercial plane in the world is U.S.-origin or flies on U.S.-controlled engines and avionics, so that reaches almost the entire global fleet,”
Kerri Bitsoff, former senior official at the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, via RFE/RL
Bitsoff said direct air links had been among Tehran’s remaining channels to the outside. Alongside the designations, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control separately suspended three aviation-related authorizations. Those permissions had allowed certain overflights and enabled non-U.S. airlines to operate U.S.-origin or U.S.-controlled commercial aircraft into Iran. Miad Maleki, a former senior Treasury official and fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the decision could have a significant effect on Tehran’s international air links.
He said the suspension would affect air traffic from Dubai, Doha, and Istanbul, effectively cutting off some of Tehran’s most important gateways to regional trade and finance. Maleki also said the move ends previous exemptions covering safety parts, fuel, and emergency repairs. The measures could therefore put additional pressure on an aviation system that has struggled for years to obtain aircraft, replacement components, and other equipment because of U.S. sanctions.
🔴 Breaking: U.S. Sanctions All 27 Remaining Iranian Airlines in Sweeping Crackdown #usnews #us
