The US Treasury on Tuesday imposed fresh Iran-related sanctions on one individual and 35 entities, including all 27 remaining Iranian airlines, as Washington expanded pressure on Tehran’s aviation sector and networks supporting sanctioned carrier Mahan Air.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added airlines including Iran Aseman Airlines, Iran Airtour, Kish Air, Qeshm Air, Taban Airlines, Sepehran Airlines, Varesh Airlines, Zagros Airlines, Karun Airlines, Chabahar Airlines and Fly Persia to its Specially Designated Nationals list.
Newer carriers including Air Shiraz, Ava Airlines, Fly Kish, Mehr Airways, Raimon Airways and Soroush Air were also listed.
Saha Airlines, formally listed as the Armed Forces Air Transport Service, was among those targeted. OFAC describes it as providing both passenger and freight air transport. The Iranian airlines were designated under Executive Order 13902 and are subject to secondary sanctions, according to Treasury’s notice.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned companies against doing business with Iranian airlines in a post on X.
“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,” Bessent said.
He said the measures were part of Operation Economic Outcast, Washington’s campaign to cut financial lifelines to the Islamic Republic, adding that the United States had also sanctioned companies continuing to support Mahan Air.
The new sanctions follow an Aug. 24 determination by the Treasury making Iran’s aviation sector, along with its digital asset, gold, shipping and technology sectors, subject to sanctions under Executive Order 13902.
A separate group of designations targeted aviation and logistics companies outside Iran with links to Mahan Air. They included ECT Aviation Support in the United Arab Emirates, ECT Aviation Support Ltd in Britain, Malaysia-based iCargo, Kazakhstan-based Tour Invest and Turkish companies MES Cargo, S Sistem Logistics and Sky Phoenix Airways. Dubai-based Aerobravo Airplane Management and Operation was also sanctioned through its link to ECT Aviation Support.
OFAC also designated Mahran Ibrahim, an Egyptian national based in the UAE, listing him as linked to ECT Aviation Support.
Mahan Air has been under US counterterrorism sanctions since 2011. Washington accuses the carrier of serving as a conduit for the Revolutionary Guards, including by transporting personnel, weapons and military equipment. Treasury has stepped up action against companies providing logistical and commercial support to the airline in recent months.
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