Iran warned on Wednesday that it would disable the airports of neighbouring countries that cooperate with new US sanctions targeting its aviation sector, as tightened American measures forced Iranian carriers to cancel a swathe of international flights.
"If neighbouring countries cooperate with the United States by stopping Iranian flights, Iran will ensure their airports cannot function," Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview with Iranian state television, Reuters reported.
In a fuller statement issued by the council, Rezaei, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, added, "We ask all the countries of the region not to join America's adventure. If they do not allow Iranian aircraft to travel, their own airports will not be able to have flights either. You are our friends, but you should not join America's ranks."
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Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei has threatened countries enforcing US sanctions on Iranian airlines, warning that their airports could face disruption. pic.twitter.com/X41Wd3UN74
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 23, 2026
The warning followed an announcement by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday that all Iranian airlines would be forced to stop operating from Wednesday, under the threat of secondary sanctions on companies providing fuel, landing services or tickets to sanctioned Iranian carriers, the latest escalation nearly seven months into the war between the United States and Iran.
Bessent told Fox News on Wednesday that Washington was "squeezing the Iranians like they've never seen," claiming "probably more than 80 or 90%" of external flights from Iran had been shut down, and that he was "not sure how the Iranian representatives at the UN are going to get home."
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Georgia and Azerbaijan officially confirmed suspending flights to Iran, while a Tehran travel agent told AFP that routes to Baghdad, Muscat and Qatar had also been halted.
Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation said Baghdad and Muscat airports would stop accepting Iranian flights from midnight, with authorities working to redirect Baghdad-bound services to Najaf, a key destination for Iranian pilgrims.
Some international connections nonetheless continued, with flights to China, Russia and Istanbul reported as still operating, including a Mahan Air service that landed in Guangzhou after the deadline. China has opposed the American measures.
The aviation sanctions mark the latest step in Washington's expanding economic pressure campaign against Tehran, adding to disruption already affecting travellers and pilgrims moving between Iran and neighbouring countries such as Iraq.
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