Iranian airlines are being cut off from international routes and airport services as Washington steps up pressure on the country’s aviation sector. Several regional connections have already been suspended or restricted, although some foreign flights continue, RT’s Saman Kojouri has reported from outside the Tehran headquarters of Mahan Air, one of Iran’s major carriers.

The US Treasury targeted 27 Iranian airlines earlier this month as part of a broader campaign against the country’s aviation sector. Foreign companies providing services to the carriers risk US secondary sanctions, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the restrictions would effectively shut Iranian airlines out of international aviation from September 23.

”If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,” Bessent said.

The impact is already spreading across the region, according to RT’s Kojouri. Azerbaijan has suspended flights operated by Iranian carriers, while Iraq has reportedly stopped accepting Iranian aircraft. Flights between Tehran and Muscat have also been suspended, while Georgia has said it will comply with sanctions affecting Iranian carriers.

Mahan Air is among the airlines facing the squeeze. Washington first sanctioned the carrier in 2011, accusing it of providing support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF). The Treasury has since targeted companies abroad accused of providing commercial and logistical support to the airline.

The aviation crackdown comes as Washington ramps up pressure on Tehran while simultaneously pursuing diplomatic contacts on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if negotiations fail, saying he faced a “big decision” between reaching an agreement and further military escalation.

Most of the Iranian delegation walked out of the General Assembly hall during Trump’s speech, leaving only one representative seated. The US president defended the nearly seven-month US-Israeli war and accused Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism.

Despite the hostile rhetoric, indirect contacts continued later in the day. US envoy Steve Witkoff said mediators had shuttled between the American and Iranian delegations during “lengthy talks,” while Tehran said it had used the channel to clearly convey its conditions to Washington, including lifting the US naval blockade and releasing frozen Iranian assets.