ERBIL () — US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Monday that Iranian airlines could be effectively shut out of international operations from Wednesday, September 23, as Washington intensifies sanctions aimed at isolating Tehran financially.
“On September 23, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent told CNBC in an interview.
Bessent warned that airports and companies providing services to Iranian carriers could face US sanctions, saying they would be unable to provide fuel, landing services or sell tickets to the airlines without risking exclusion from the US dollar financial system.
The warning follows a September 8 decision by the US Treasury Department to sanction the remaining Iranian airlines that had not previously been targeted. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 36 targets linked to Iran’s aviation sector, including 27 Iranian airlines as well as foreign companies and intermediaries accused of supporting the sector.
The Treasury said the measures also target firms outside Iran involved in aircraft transfers, cargo services, sales-agent support and the procurement of US-origin aircraft and aviation technology. Washington warned that foreign entities continuing to support sanctioned Iranian airlines could face consequences under the US sanctions regime.
The measures are part of the Trump administration’s broader Operation Economic Outcast, which Bessent announced in August as an intensified campaign to restrict Iran’s access to international financial networks and revenue sources.
Iranian airlines have faced US sanctions for years, limiting their access to aircraft, spare parts, technology and maintenance services. The Treasury has also previously targeted companies accused of facilitating the operations of Mahan Air, one of Iran’s largest private carriers.
Bessent’s remarks came a day after he met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for economic talks ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. China remains an important economic and diplomatic partner of Iran.
The latest US measures come amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict and Washington’s broader efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
