UAE bars Iranian airlines as US sanctions squeeze Iran’s aviation sector

Flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE suspended as part of broader efforts to enforce US aviation sanctions on Iran.

A flight information board at Imam Khomeini international airport in Tehran, Iran, on September 23, 2026 [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]

The United Arab Emirates has halted flights operated by Iranian airlines, joining several other countries in adopting United States sanctions aimed at pressuring Tehran’s aviation sector.

On Thursday, a statement carried by the Emirati WAM news agency said, “The General Civil Aviation Authority announced the suspension of all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE.”

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It said the decision was “based on the US sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines preventing them from using airports around the world ”.

The UAE has joined Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan in restricting or suspending access for Iranian airlines amid the new US sanctions threat.

Dubai, the UAE’s commercial hub, is a major destination for Iranian carriers, with multiple daily flights, a large Iranian community and close business links.

An Iran Airtour flight from Tehran to Dubai was cancelled shortly before its scheduled departure on Thursday morning, after tickets had already been issued, according to the AFP news agency.

The UAE, which was repeatedly hit by Iranian missiles and drones throughout the US-Israel war on Iran, suspended trade and financial exchanges with Iran last month.

On Wednesday, the UAE’s central bank blocked transactions involving Iran’s Bank Melli, claiming the financial institution had violated rules on money laundering, terrorism and arms proliferation.

The US Treasury announced sweeping sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector earlier this month, targeting 27 airlines and dozens of companies that support them. The measures aim to cut off Iran’s air links entirely, warning that any airport or company still servicing Iranian carriers risks being cut off from the US dollar system.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization spokesman Majid Akhavan said: “Diplomatic and aviation talks are under way to remove the restrictions and restore flights” to the UAE.

Akhavan added that Turkmenistan also turned back a flight from Tehran to Dushanbe on Thursday.

“Turkmenistan’s refusal to allow the Iranian aircraft to pass through its airspace meant the flight could not continue on its route and had to return,” Akhavan told the Iranian IRNA news agency.

Several smaller Iranian airlines continue flying to China and Armenia, both of which have resisted US pressure, while routes to Turkiye remain open for some carriers.

作为美国对伊朗实施航空制裁的更广泛举措的一部分，伊朗航空公司往返阿联酋的航班已暂停运营。

2026年9月23日，伊朗德黑兰伊玛目霍梅尼国际机场的航班信息显示屏。[Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]

阿拉伯联合酋长国已暂停伊朗航空公司运营的航班，加入到其他几个国家行列，响应美国旨在向德黑兰航空业施压的制裁。

周四，阿联酋通讯社WAM发表声明称：“阿联酋民航总局宣布暂停所有伊朗航空公司往返阿联酋的航班。”

美国对伊朗实施的三项航空制裁措施之一扰乱了伊朗的航班，迫使旅客改走陆路出行。

（共3项，第2项）伊朗目前受到哪些制裁？

美国威胁从周三起在全球范围内停飞伊朗航空公司航班，名单共3份。

声明称，该决定是“基于美国对伊朗航空公司实施的制裁，这些制裁阻止了它们使用世界各地的机场”。

在美国新的制裁威胁下，阿联酋加入了阿曼、伊拉克、阿塞拜疆、格鲁吉亚和土库曼斯坦的行列，限制或暂停伊朗航空公司的入境。

迪拜是阿联酋的商业中心，也是伊朗航空公司的重要目的地，每天都有多趟航班，拥有庞大的伊朗社群，并且商业联系紧密。

据法新社报道，周四上午，伊朗航空一架从德黑兰飞往迪拜的航班在预定起飞前不久被取消，而机票已经发出。

在美以对伊朗的战争期间，阿联酋屡遭伊朗导弹和无人机袭击，上个月暂停了与伊朗的贸易和金融往来。

周三，阿联酋中央银行冻结了涉及伊朗国家银行的交易，声称该金融机构违反了有关洗钱、恐怖主义和武器扩散的规定。

美国财政部本月初宣布对伊朗航空业实施全面制裁，目标包括27家航空公司和数十家为其提供服务的公司。这些措施旨在彻底切断伊朗的空中交通，并警告称，任何仍在为伊朗航空公司提供服务的机场或公司都可能被排除在美国美元体系之外。

伊朗民航组织发言人马吉德·阿赫万表示：“外交和航空方面的会谈正在进行中，以解除限制并恢复飞往阿联酋的航班。”

阿克哈万补充说，土库曼斯坦周四还遣返了一架从德黑兰飞往杜尚别的航班。

阿克哈万告诉伊朗伊斯兰共和国通讯社（IRNA）：“土库曼斯坦拒绝让伊朗飞机通过其领空，这意味着该航班无法继续其航线，不得不返回。”

一些规模较小的伊朗航空公司继续飞往中国和亚美尼亚，这两个国家都顶住了美国的压力，而飞往土耳其的航线对一些航空公司仍然开放。