US Sanctions Bar Iranian Airlines From Gulf Neighbors — SkimNews
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- UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority suspended all Iranian airline flights until further notice, citing the new US policy targeting companies in third countries that do business with Iran
- Iran warned enforcement of the air ban would lead to potential escalation, with a senior Iranian official on Wednesday threatening to make airports "unusable" in any country that abides by the US restrictions
- Iran's Tasnim news reported flights were also grounded to Oman, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Baghdad, with authorities rerouting travelers to the Shi'ite pilgrimage airport in Najaf, Iraq
- Trump branded the secondary-sanctions strategy "economic D-Day" last month, building on an existing US naval blockade of Iranian ports to extend financial pressure globally
- Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport still lists scheduled flights to Afghanistan, Armenia, China, Iraq, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Türkiye, but no departures to nearby Gulf states among Iran's closest travel and business partners
Why it matters: The sanctions compound an existing US naval blockade of Iran's ports, sealing off civilian travel while Tehran threatens to make regional airports 'unusable' if neighbors comply. Civilian travelers and Iran's economy absorb the next hit as the financial siege tightens.
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