UAE Blocks Iranian Airlines as U.S. Sanctions Tighten Grip on Iran’s Aviation Sector
The United Arab Emirates has suspended flights by Iranian airlines, joining a growing group of countries tightening access to Tehran’s civil aviation sector as new U.S. sanctions threaten any airport or company that continues serving Iranian carriers.
The General Civil Aviation Authority said Thursday that all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE would be halted, according to a statement carried by the state-run WAM news agency. It linked the decision to U.S. sanctions on Iranian airlines that prevent them from using airports around the world.
The UAE is now the latest country to restrict or suspend access for Iranian carriers, after Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan. The decision carries particular weight because Dubai, the UAE’s commercial hub, is a major destination for Iranian airlines, with multiple daily flights, a large Iranian community and close business links.
The impact was immediate. An Iran Airtour flight from Tehran to Dubai was canceled shortly before its scheduled departure Thursday morning, after tickets had already been issued, according to Agence France-Presse.
The aviation ban follows a broader breakdown in UAE-Iran economic ties. The UAE, which was repeatedly hit by Iranian missiles and drones during the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, suspended trade and financial exchanges with Iran last month. On Wednesday, the UAE central bank blocked transactions involving Iran’s Bank Melli, saying the institution had violated rules on money laundering, terrorism and arms proliferation.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury announced sweeping sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector, targeting 27 airlines and dozens of companies that support them. The measures are designed to cut off Iran’s air links entirely, with Washington warning that any airport or company still servicing Iranian carriers risks being cut off from the U.S. dollar system.
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization spokesman, Majid Akhavan, said diplomatic and aviation talks are under way to remove the restrictions and restore flights to the UAE. He added that Turkmenistan also turned back a flight from Tehran to Dushanbe on Thursday.
“Turkmenistan’s refusal to allow the Iranian aircraft to pass through its airspace meant the flight could not continue on its route and had to return,” Akhavan told Iran’s IRNA news agency.
Several smaller Iranian airlines continue flying to China and Armenia, both of which have resisted U.S. pressure, while routes to Turkey remain open for some carriers. But the loss of the UAE route removes one of Iran’s most important remaining gateways for passengers and cargo, raising the prospect of longer journeys, higher costs and deeper isolation for an aviation industry already under severe strain.