World

Iran cancels flights to Baghdad, Muscat as US sanctions bite

 


Iran has been forced to cancel international flights in the region due to sweeping US sanctions, with airports in Baghdad, Iraq, and Muscat, Oman, no longer receiving flights from Iran from Wednesday morning, the Iranian news agency ISNA reported, citing the country's civil aviation authority.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced further pressure on Iran's aviation sector in an interview on Monday, and threatened states with exclusion from the US dollar system if they supplied Iranian airlines with fuel, provided landing services or sold tickets on their behalf. 
A spokesman for the Iranian aviation authority said they were working to redirect flights to Iraq to a different airport, ISNA reported.
Flights by Iranian airlines to neighbouring Azerbaijan have also been suspended with immediate effect, the newspaper Shargh reported, citing Azerbaijan Airlines.
The latest US move followed sweeping US sanctions against Iran's aviation sector two weeks ago.