Iran Vows To 'Paralyze' Regional Airports Which Prevent Its Flights From Landing
Facing crippling US sanctions against its aviation sector as part of the Trump/Bessent Economic D-Day initiative, Iran is warning that if regional countries join the sanctions action, their own airports could be targeted.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council has on Wednesday put neighboring states who are allies of Washington on notice. The statement warned their airports will be "paralyzed" if they cooperate with US attempts to prevent the landing of Iranian airliners.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared on Monday that by Wednesday. Sept. 23, "all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world."
He warned that any airports or companies providing fuel, landing, and ticketing for sanctioned Iranian entities risk dollar-system exclusion.
Already Turkey has taken the dramatic action of canceling all flights in the foreseeable future for various Iranian carriers.
According to more of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council statement, delivered via its chief, Mohsen Rezaei, "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. You should prevent the war from spreading," he added. Throughout the prior seven months of war with the US, Iran has shown a willingness to target major civilian hubs, particularly in neighboring Kuwait.
Iran is defiantly planning to press forward with its commercial airline operations. While some countries are complying with the US order, China is clearly not...
An Iranian Mahan Air flight from Tehran landed in Guangzhou, China today, Sept. 23 as new U.S. aviation sanctions took effect, flight Radar shows.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 23, 2026
China is clearly not caring about US sanctions. pic.twitter.com/g990JZ4SLz
As for the heavily sanctioned Iranian aviation industry, in recent years the Islamic Republic has suffered some significant aerial disasters, which included the May 19, 2024 death of President Ebrahim Raisi. His military helicopter went down in a rugged, mountainous area of northwestern Iran.
Some speculate that lack of airline parts and aging aircraft, due to the long-standing US targeting of the industry, has only served to increase the chances of aviation disasters.