WASHINGTON: The US Targets Iran’s Aviation Sector , announcing 36 new Iran-related sanctions against the country’s aviation industry and other businesses as the Trump administration moves to increase economic pressure on Tehran amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The US Treasury Department said the latest measures are intended to further restrict Iran’s aviation industry, including Mahan Air, which is already sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union. The measures also extend sanctions to other Iranian airlines and target companies and intermediaries that Washington says help Tehran obtain US-origin aircraft and sensitive aviation technology.
According to the Treasury, the sanctions focus on covert front companies, cargo handlers, foreign intermediaries and deceptive trans-shipment routes allegedly used to support Iran’s aviation sector. Financial institutions have also been instructed to report procurement networks linked to Iran’s aviation industry.
US Targets Iran’s Aviation Sector, Imposes Sanctions on 27 Iranian Airlines
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has also suspended three aviation-related authorizations involving Iran. These permissions had allowed certain overflights and permitted non-US airlines to operate US-origin or US-controlled commercial aircraft into Iran.
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US Targets Iran’s Aviation Sector and sanctions against 27 Iranian airlines, along with several companies in Turkey and the UAE. The Treasury said some of the targeted firms helped Mahan Air secure at least three Boeing 777 aircraft during the summer after the aircraft had been retired elsewhere.
UAE-based Egyptian citizen Ibrahim Ali Mohamed Mohamed Mahran, chief executive of ECT Aviation Support, and the company’s British unit were also targeted. OFAC separately sanctioned two companies in Turkey and Malaysia over alleged support for Mahan Air’s international flights and cargo operations.
US Targets Iran’s Aviation Sector and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned businesses dealing with Iranian airlines that they could face exclusion from the global financial system. He said the administration would impose serious consequences on entities providing financial support to Iran.
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Washington has repeatedly targeted networks linked to Mahan Air. The airline was first sanctioned by the United States in 2011 over alleged support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Analysts described the latest measures as a significant expansion of economic pressure, warning that restrictions on Iran’s aviation sector could affect civilian travel, commerce, supply chains and the country’s already strained economy.
