The United States has threatened to sanction airports and companies worldwide that provide services to Iranian airlines, warning that the carriers could be shut out of international operations from Wednesday.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that all Iranian airlines would be “shut down around the world on September 23” as Washington increases pressure on Tehran.
Bessent told CNBC that airports, ground-handling companies and ticketing agents could face U.S. sanctions if they continue working with Iranian airlines.
“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,” he said.
The warning follows a decision communicated to the world from the U.S. Treasury Department on 8th of September to sanction 36 targets linked to Iran’s aviation sector, including 27 Iranian airlines.
Washington said the sector is used by Iran to move weapons, personnel and illicit cargo.
The latest measures are part of President Donald Trump’s “Operation Economic Outcast,” which aims to increase economic pressure on Iran.
The sanctions could affect Iranian carriers’ ability to refuel aircraft, land at foreign airports and sell tickets outside Iran.
Iran’s aviation industry has already faced years of U.S. restrictions that have limited access to aircraft, spare parts and maintenance services.
Trump told Fox News that his options on Iran were “wiping Iran out, letting them rot economically, or making a deal.”
Bessent said Trump was in a “deciding mode” and added that “Very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future.”
He said he expected the conflict to end in the coming weeks.
Comments
Add a comment