Iran · 09 September, 2026 · 3 min read
U.S. Treasury Sanctions 27 Iranian Airlines, Targets Iran Aviation Sector With 36 Objectives
OFAC designated 36 entities tied to Iran's aviation sector, including 27 Iranian airlines. Sanctions broaden to all Iranian airlines not previously listed, aiming to ground Mahan Air.
60 outlets, one story, no spin found.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: britain bans Iranian aircraft landing in Britain except in exceptional cases..
CNN was read line by line by the Watchdog: 3.3. See the score →
60outlets compared
Aviation sanctions widen
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed a broad sanctions package on Iran’s aviation sector on Monday, targeting 36 objectives, including all Iranian airlines that had not been previously listed.
“targeting 36 objectives, including all Iranian airlines that had not been previously listed”
The measures hit 27 Iranian airlines, including Iran Aseman Airlines, Kish Air, Qeshm Air, Zagros Airlines, and ATA Airlines, and also targeted foreign companies and intermediaries accused of helping the Iranian aviation sector or the sanctioned Mahan Air.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the sanctions target companies continuing to support Mahan Air, warning entities dealing with Iranian airlines subject to the measures of the risks of being cut off from the global financial system.
The Treasury also announced the suspension of three licenses related to Iranian aviation, including authorizations that allowed flight over Iran and the use of non-U.S. airlines for American-made or U.S.-controlled commercial aircraft on flights to Iran.
In a separate framing, Al-Monitor said the Treasury designated 27 Iranian airlines not yet subject to U.S. sanctions and tightened pressure on Mahan Air, which it said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has used to transport weapons and military personnel.
Cut off from finance
A Treasury official told reporters, “These jurisdictions have been on notice for some time, and now we’re moving quite directly to essentially cut off those operators from the Western financial system,” as the sanctions also covered nine service providers and sales agents accused of providing services to Mahan Air.
CNN reported the administration said it was “effectively today terminating all licenses that related to aviation,” including “payments for overflights of Iranian airspace” and authorizations that had allowed non-U.S. airlines to fly U.S.-export-controlled airplanes into Iran.
In the same pressure campaign, Al-Monitor said the Treasury official described the effort as moving “quite directly to essentially cut off those operators from the Western financial system,” and said the jurisdictions had been “unnoticed for some time.”
The sanctions package also included a warning to financial institutions, with the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying, “Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system.”
CNN added that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi scoffed at the latest sanctions efforts, writing on X, “After 47 years of sanctions, the US went to war with Iran on behalf of Israel.”
Broader fallout and next steps
The U.S. Treasury said the measures target front companies, foreign intermediaries, and shipping routes used by Iran to obtain aircraft of U.S. origin and sensitive technologies, while the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a warning to financial institutions about networks purchasing aircraft and spare parts connected to Iran.
“targeting 36 objectives, including all Iranian airlines that had not been previously listed”
Al-Jazirah Net reported that the Treasury accused Iran of using front companies and intermediary entities in other countries to conceal the end user of American-made aircraft and aviation materials, and said Mahan Air obtained at least three Boeing 777 aircraft during the summer of 2026 routed through the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Al-Monitor said the Treasury also suspended three general licenses that authorized payments for overflights of Iranian airspace and for non-American airlines to fly U.S.-origin aircraft into Iran, while keeping aviation safety requests under consideration on a case-by-case basis.
The sanctions were described as part of Operation Economic Outcast announced on August 24, with the Treasury warning that foreign financial institutions facilitating large transactions for designated entities may themselves face secondary sanctions.
In parallel, Al-Sharq al-Awsat said Britain expanded sanctions on Iran on Tuesday by widening authority to target ships and preventing Iranian aircraft from landing in Britain except in exceptional cases, with Stephen Doughty saying the new legislation “redoubles our efforts to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”