Scott Bessent told CNBC on Tuesday that Washington would effectively close every Iranian carrier to international traffic from Monday. He said the Treasury would target airports, fuel suppliers, ticketing firms and any other entity that helps a flight land or take off, threatening them with secondary sanctions if they continue to serve Tehran.
Iraq has announced it will suspend all Iranian flights, while Georgia barred the carriers from its airspace. Turkey’s Ministry of Transport ordered Mahan Airlines to halt service to Ankara, citing the new U.S. restrictions.
These moves follow a string of sanctions that have already crippled Iran’s ability to buy aircraft parts and maintenance. The U.S. and Iran have been at war for seven months, and the Treasury’s latest threat is a sharp escalation in Washington’s economic campaign.
The announcement came a day after Bessent met Chinese Vice‑Premier He Lifeng, signalling a push to keep China from loosening its economic ties with Tehran. China remains one of Iran’s top trading partners.
Iran has not yet issued a formal response, and the U.S. is preparing to enforce the sanctions on a broader base of foreign firms that support Tehran’s aviation. The next step will be the Treasury’s roll‑out of the sanctions list to the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.