Washington, Sept. 9 (SANA) The United States imposed a new package of Iran-related sanctions on Tuesday targeting the country’s aviation sector and companies supporting it as Washington intensifies economic pressure on Tehran.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced 36 sanctions under its expanded “Operation Economic Outcast,” targeting Iranian airlines as well as companies and networks that Washington says support their operations.
The Treasury said the measures seek to cut Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) off from financial and logistical support, accusing them of using commercial aviation to transport weapons, personnel and illicit goods.
OFAC designated the remaining 27 Iranian airlines under Executive Order 13902. The measures also targeted companies in Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Kazakhstan that the Treasury said had supported Iranian airlines or helped Tehran acquire U.S.-origin aircraft and sensitive technology.
Several targeted companies in Türkiye and the UAE were accused of helping Mahan Air obtain at least three Boeing 777 aircraft during the summer, while two firms in Türkiye and Malaysia were sanctioned for allegedly servicing the airline’s international flights and coordinating cargo shipments.
OFAC also suspended three aviation authorizations that had permitted overflights and allowed non-U.S. airlines to operate U.S.-origin or U.S.-controlled commercial aircraft into Iran. Future aviation safety-related requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The measures follow earlier U.S. sanctions issued in August. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that foreign individuals and companies continuing to do business with Iran’s sanctioned airlines risk being cut off from the global financial system.
T.S /M.F
