The United States announced 36 Iran-related sanctions on Tuesday targeting commercial and private airlines, aviation companies and firms that provide them with parts, logistics and other services. The measures expand existing sanctions on Mahan Air and are part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign against Tehran.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action was intended to penalise companies providing financial support to Iran and warned that businesses dealing with the country’s remaining airlines risk being cut off from the global financial system.
Why Mahan Air is central to the package
The Treasury action expands restrictions on the privately owned Iranian airline Mahan Air. The US government has accused the airline of supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and of transporting weapons and assistance to armed groups allied with Tehran in Lebanon and Yemen. For additional context, see “What is really moving through the Strait of Hormuz?”.
The aviation measures also name companies in countries including Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan and Malaysia over alleged support for Iranian airline operations.
Who is affected
- Mahan Air, which has been under US sanctions since 2011, is among the targeted entities.
- The package also covers Iran-based aviation companies and foreign firms accused of supplying parts or logistics services.
- The measures extend to companies doing business with restricted entities.
- Assets held under US jurisdiction are subject to freezing under the sanctions.
Sanctions come amid a wider confrontation
The new measures follow a broader US effort to isolate Iran economically. President Donald Trump has announced additional steps intended to squeeze the Iranian economy, while Bessent has described the campaign as among the toughest sanctions efforts in history. A related part of this story is covered in “Iran’s Hormuz plan: proposed boundaries, routes and enforcement”.
The sanctions arrive as fighting involving the United States, Israel and Iran continues. The Strait of Hormuz remains a major point of tension: Iran restricted passage through the waterway at the start of the war, and the US later announced a naval blockade and stronger sanctions aimed at cutting Iran’s economic lifelines.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticised the decision on Tuesday, arguing that Washington was responding to the failure of sanctions and war to achieve its aims with more sanctions. The development of this issue can be followed in “What the latest US-Iran tanker attacks mean for the Strait of Hormuz”.
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