Iranian airlines suspend all flights to the UAE amid new US sanctions

All flights operated by Iranian airlines to the United Arab Emirates were halted at midnight, according to ISNA, and a passenger reported the abrupt cancellation of an Iran Airtour Tehran-Dubai service shortly before departure. Dubai, a major gateway for Iranian passengers traveling onward to Europe, Asia and Africa, is now inaccessible, although Turkey continues to receive Iranian flights. The suspension comes after the United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry in early September, demanding companies cease services such as refuelling Iranian aircraft.

Neighboring countries have adopted similar measures, and Turkmenistan refused overflight permission, forcing a Tehran-Dushanbe flight to return to Imam Khomeini Airport, as explained by Civil Aviation Organisation spokesman Majid Akhavan. Despite the pressure, a few minor Iranian carriers still fly to China, which resists US pressure, and to Armenia. Iran’s airline sector includes about 30 carriers, with Iran Air and the private Mahan being the largest for international routes.