Iranian airlines cancelled some international flights on Wednesday after the United States imposed new sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector.
Georgia and Azerbaijan confirmed the suspension of flights to Iran, while a travel agent in Tehran told AFP that flights to Baghdad, Muscat and Qatar had also been halted. Flights to several other destinations, including China, continued.
The new US measures were announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday as Washington seeks to increase economic pressure on Tehran amid the ongoing conflict.
“We are squeezing the Iranians like they’ve never seen,” Bessent told Fox News on Wednesday, claiming that more than 80% to 90% of Iran’s international flights had been affected.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, rejected the pressure.
“The resistance of the Iranian people will only intensify in the face of sanctions, mounting pressure and growing intimidation” from the United States, Pezeshkian said.
Iran’s aviation industry has faced US sanctions for years, but the latest measures could further restrict international connections.
Despite the new sanctions, flight-tracking data showed a Mahan Air flight from Tehran arriving in Guangzhou, China, on Wednesday. A flight to Shanghai was also scheduled to depart from Tehran’s international airport.
