The Trump administration is claiming that Iranian airlines are grounded as of today, as part of increased sanctions. However, so far it doesn’t seem like Iranian airlines (and some foreign countries) are fully cooperating…
US uses sanctions to ground Iranian airlines
The United States has long had sanctions against Iran, and those have only intensified since early this year, with the start of the war. While Iranian airlines have been banned from flying to countries with direct sanctions against Iran, they’ve been able to continue flying to most other countries.
Well, if the Trump administration is to be believed, that’s no longer the case. According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Iranian airlines are being shut down around the world as of today, Wednesday, September 23, 2026. According to Bessent, here’s how this is being done:
“How do we do that? If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system.”
So if this is to be believed, foreign countries servicing Iranian planes would face complete exclusion from the American banking system. And without the ability to refuel or provide services, it obviously makes it very difficult for Iranian carriers to fly abroad.
This aviation embargo comes as the Trump administration is trying to increase economic measures against the Iranian regime, under Operation Economic Fury.
Iranian airlines cancel some flights, operate others
In light of these new sanctions as of September 23, 2026, Iranian airlines have already canceled some flights, including to Baghdad (BGW), Baku (GYD), Doha (DOH), Muscat (MCT), and Tbilisi (TBS).
However, other international flights are continuing to operate. For example, Mahan Air operated flight W581 from Tehran (IKA) to Guangzhou, China (CAN) today, using an Airbus A340-300 with the registration code EP-MMC. Interestingly, there seems to be some coordination here with Chinese authorities, because the website of Guangzhou’s airport specifically didn’t list this flight, and surely that’s not a coincidence.
Furthermore, Mahan Air also operated flight W557 to Phuket, Thailand (HKT), and landed this morning, using a Boeing 777-200ER with the registration code EP-MTB.
Both the Guangzhou and Phuket flights are expected to return to Tehran in the coming hours, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens there. Did China and Thailand refuel the planes and provide services? I wouldn’t be surprised if China simply doesn’t care about threats of sanctions from the United States, but I’m a bit more surprised to see Thailand be onboard with this.
Bottom line
The Trump administration is stepping up sanctions on Iran, and that includes trying to ban Iranian airlines from operating internationally. While Iranian carriers have been banned from countries directly sanctioning Iran, the latest is that if foreign countries service Iranian aircraft, they’ll face complete exclusion from the American banking system.
While Iran Air and Mahan Air have canceled most of their international flights, we have seen some flights to China and Thailand continue. I suspect China just doesn’t care about threats of US sanctions, but Thailand is an interesting one.
How do you see this playing out for Iranian airlines?
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