Iran cancels flights to UAE as US sanctions ground up to 90% of international aviation

Iran’s aviation sector effectively collapsed overnight. As of September 24, 2026, Iranian airlines stopped flying to the United Arab Emirates, a direct consequence of newly intensified US sanctions that gave international service providers a hard deadline: cut ties with Iranian carriers or face consequences. What the sanctions actually did The US Treasury’s latest round of measures, which took effect September 23, targeted Iran’s aviation sector with unusual precision. Rather than sanctioning airlines directly, the pressure landed on third-party service providers, the ground handlers, fuel suppliers, insurers, and overflight authorities that keep planes in the air. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted that by the compliance deadline, somewhere between 80% and 90% of Iranian international flights had ceased operations. The UAE cancellations illustrate the cascade. Iran Airtour suspended its Tehran-Dubai routes effective midnight on September 24, even for passengers who had already purchased tickets. Iran Air and Mahan Air have managed to preserve some limited service, mostly to China and Armenia, but the broader network has largely gone quiet. The reach of these sanctions exten...