Iran warns regional air travel could be halted because of ban on its airlines

Iran warned on Friday that air travel across the region could be disrupted if Iranian airlines continue to be denied access to flights and airport services, Anadolu reports.

Tehran will not accept regional countries “aligning themselves with hostile US policies against Iran,” Mohammad Mokhber, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said in a post on US social media company X.

“Our strategy on this matter is clear: Either air travel in the region is available to everyone or to no one,” said Mokhber.

“If Iran cannot travel by air and receive airport services, no country in the region will be able to do so either,” he added in a thinly veiled threat.

Mokhber said the decision by regional countries to align with Washington in implementing “hostile policies” will remain in the memory of the Iranian people.

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His comments came after restrictions on Iranian airlines expanded this week amid US sanctions targeting Tehran’s international operations.

Iraq’s Najaf International Airport suspended all flights to and from Iran on Friday until further notice, citing directives from authorities.

The United Arab Emirates also suspended flights by Iranian airlines to and from Iran on Thursday until further notice, with its General Civil Aviation Authority citing US restrictions imposed on Iranian carriers.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week that Iranian airlines’ operations worldwide will come to a halt as of Sept. 23 as part of new sanctions, as efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran continue.

Talks have stalled despite a June memorandum to reach a final peace because of disagreements concerning navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important strategic routes for energy and goods supplies.

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