ERBIL () - Iran's Supreme National Security Council rejected on Saturday claims that Tehran would resort to military action in response to the aviation restrictions imposed on its airlines, describing such reports as baseless, while confirming that Iran is in negotiations with relevant countries to lift what it called illegal restrictions on its airspace and reserving the right to apply civilian countermeasures if necessary.
"Claims that we will resort to military action to counter the restrictions imposed on our flights are baseless,"the Supreme National Security Council said in its statement.
We are negotiating with some relevant countries to lift the illegal restrictions imposed on our airspace. There are civilian options to respond to the aviation restrictions and we will apply them if necessary.
The statement is a direct response to the Iranian airline shutdown announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on September 22, 2026, effective from September 23, which grounded all Iranian airlines worldwide by threatening dollar system exclusion for any entity anywhere that provides fuel, landing services, or ticketing to Iranian aircraft. The scale and comprehensiveness of the shutdown prompted speculation about whether Tehran might escalate militarily in response to what it has consistently framed as an act of economic aggression.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council's explicit rejection of the military option in this context is significant for several reasons. It arrives as the most consequential diplomatic week of the seven-month conflict appears to be producing genuine movement, with Iranian FM Araghchi having proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days in exchange for lifting the naval blockade in indirect talks with US envoys Witkoff and Kushner at the UNGA margins, Qatar serving as mediator, and a source describing positive movements. A military escalation over the airline ban at precisely this moment would have derailed that diplomatic opening, and Tehran's explicit disavowal of the military path suggests the SNSC is consciously protecting the negotiating track.
The confirmation that Iran is negotiating with relevant countries to lift the airspace restrictions points toward the same category of diplomatic engagement that has been underway throughout the conflict, with Oman, Qatar, and other regional states serving as channels between Tehran and the international community on specific enforcement actions. Iraqi FM Fuad Hussein confirmed on Friday that Iraq is discussing the aviation sanctions with Washington and has formally notified Iran of the ban on Iranian aircraft at Iraqi airports, making Baghdad one of the relevant countries with which Iran may be negotiating on this file.
The reference to civilian options available to respond to the aviation restrictions, which Tehran will apply if necessary, leaves open the possibility of Iranian countermeasures that fall short of military action, potentially including reciprocal restrictions on overflight rights, retaliatory economic measures against entities complying with the US sanctions, or legal challenges through international aviation bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization.
