The United States on Tuesday imposed 36 new Iran-related sanctions targeting the country’s aviation sector and other companies, as the Trump administration intensifies economic pressure on Tehran. The measures come as the broader conflict in the Middle East enters its seventh month and Washington seeks to further restrict Iran’s access to international trade, finance and strategic technology.
The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions are designed to ground Mahan Air and extend restrictions across all Iranian airlines. The action also targets front companies, cargo handlers, foreign intermediaries and trans-shipment networks that Washington says Tehran uses to obtain U.S.-origin aircraft and sensitive aviation technology. Financial institutions were instructed to report procurement networks supporting Iran’s aviation industry.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also suspended three existing aviation-related authorizations. Those provisions had allowed certain overflights and permitted non-U.S. airlines to operate U.S.-origin or U.S.-controlled commercial aircraft into Iran. The Treasury additionally sanctioned companies and individuals in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Kazakhstan that it accused of supporting Iranian airlines or helping Tehran acquire aircraft and related technology.
The latest measures mark a significant expansion of the administration’s campaign to isolate Iran economically. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that businesses assisting Iranian airlines could lose access to the global financial system. On Tuesday, the department designated 27 Iranian airlines and several foreign companies, alleging that some had helped Mahan Air obtain Boeing 777 aircraft and maintain international cargo and passenger operations.
Experts said the sanctions could have broad consequences for Iran’s aviation sector and economy. Brett Erickson of Obsidian Risk Advisors described the measures as an effective attempt to isolate Iran’s aviation industry from the international system, with potential effects on civilian travel, commerce and supply chains. Washington has repeatedly targeted Mahan Air since sanctioning the airline in 2011 over alleged support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while continuing to pursue the global networks that enable Iranian airlines to operate.
