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Iran's flag carrier, IranAir, announced Tuesday that its flights to Istanbul, Baku, and Najaf would continue on schedule after it received no official suspension order from aviation authorities, despite sweeping U.S. sanctions targeting Tehran's aviation network.
The airline said it had not received any notification or directive from aviation authorities in Türkiye, Azerbaijan, or Iraq ordering it to suspend flights to the three destinations.
Until it received such an order, IranAir said services would continue under its existing schedules, with any changes announced through the company's official communication channels, according to a statement carried by local media Tasnim.
The announcement followed U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's warning Monday that all Iranian commercial airlines would be shut down worldwide from Sept. 23 as Washington expanded restrictions on Iran's civil aviation sector.
Bessent warned that companies and facilities providing services to Iranian aircraft could also face penalties, including restrictions on access to the U.S. banking system and dollar-clearing network if they refueled aircraft, provided landing facilities, or sold passenger tickets.
IranAir's international network includes Istanbul, with its published schedule showing two daily flights in each direction between Tehran and Istanbul, operated with Airbus A330 aircraft.
The route connects Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport with Istanbul Airport, while recent flight-tracking data showed IranAir's Tehran-Istanbul service operating during the week. Flight IR719 landed in Istanbul on Sept. 21 and was listed for Sept. 22 and subsequent dates.
Türkiye's State Airports Authority (DHMI) also lists IranAir among carriers holding passenger-service and cargo-handling permits at Istanbul Airport through Sept. 30, 2026.
Turkish Airlines, AJet, and Pegasus canceled all flights to and from Iran starting Sept. 21 following the U.S. sanctions, with their booking systems showing no scheduled Iran services through March 2027. Pegasus also appears to have removed its Iran routes for the foreseeable future.
Mahan Air, Iran's largest privately held airline, suspended flights to Türkiye from Sept. 21 after Turkish authorities ordered the carrier to halt services over concerns about exposure to U.S. sanctions.
The measures follow a decision by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to impose a broad sanctions package targeting Iran's civil aviation industry.
The package, introduced under Washington's latest "Operation Economic Outcast" campaign to cut off Iran's remaining international financial ties, added 36 targets to the sanctions list and imposed new restrictions on effectively all of Iran's active airlines.
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