Secretary Scott Bessent announced that airports and companies providing fuel, landing services, or ticket sales to Iranian carriers will be removed from the US dollar system starting Sept. 23. The measures block all Iranian airlines from international operations through secondary sanctions targeting entities that facilitate their flights, including Airbus planes with US components. Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, and AJet cancelled all Iran flights starting Sept. 21 and blocked bookings until March 2027.

China described the unilateral sanctions as illegal and lacking authorization from the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Iraqi government sources told AFP that Baghdad will suspend operations for US-sanctioned Iranian carriers beginning Tuesday at dawn. Iran countered these threats by stating its foreign flights will continue from October.