Iran shut the airspace around Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country's main air hub, following Israeli airstrikes on Monday, as the latest round of Iran-Israel hostilities sent aviation disruptions rippling across the Gulf region.
The closure came after the Israeli Air Force struck military targets in western and central Iran, hours after the IRGC fired a wave of ballistic missiles at the Ramat David airbase in northern Israel. The exchange marked the first direct military escalation between the two countries since the fragile April ceasefire.
“Due to safety and security assessments… the western part of the country's airspace was declared closed until further notice,” says Majid Akhavan, the spokesman for the National Civil Aviation Organization, in a statement carried by the news agency IRNA, reported Times Of Israel.
Iraq has also temporarily closed its airspace.
However, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain were not directly affected by Monday's Iran-Israel exchange.
Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) issued a specific notice stating that "information being circulated on social media regarding the closure of the State of Qatar's airspace or the suspension of flight operations is inaccurate," adding that a NOTAM had been issued solely to identify alternative air routes for continued safe navigation.
The wider Gulf aviation disruptions trace to a separate development earlier in the week, when the US military said Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait and Bahrain failed or were intercepted, prompting US Central Command to launch retaliatory strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz.
Kuwait's defence ministry confirmed that seven missiles and multiple drones were engaged by air defence systems over residential areas, causing material damage but no casualties.
Bahrain similarly reported interceptions, with air defence systems on high alert.
The aviation disruptions add a civilian dimension to a conflict that, over the course of a single night, saw Iran and Israel exchange direct missile and air strikes for the first time since the April ceasefire.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.