Trump administration sanctions all Iranian airlines in aviation crackdown

In a significant move against Iran, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on all Iranian airlines, as announced by the Treasury on Tuesday. This crackdown is part of Operation Economic Outcast, aimed at cutting off the Islamic Republic's access to the global economy. The sanctions target 27 Iranian air carriers, including Mahan Air, Ava Airlines, Fly Persia, and Mehr Airways.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that any business with these airlines could result in being cut off from the global financial system.

The sanctions also extend to what the Treasury described as covert front companies, foreign intermediaries, and deceptive transshipment routes that Iran uses to obtain US-origin aircraft and sensitive technology. These include UAE-based ECT Aviation Support LLC, its chief Ibrahim Ali Mohamed Mohamed Mahran, and Turkish firm Sky Phoenix. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a global alert to financial institutions to report any assistance to Iran's aviation industry.

The move aims to choke off Iran's ability to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo. The Treasury stated that any person involved in supporting Iran's aviation sector, from sales agents to covert aircraft procurement, will be held accountable. Their US assets will be frozen, and they will be denied access to the US-dominated global banking system. Americans and US residents are prohibited from assisting sanctioned parties.

Bessent emphasized that the sanctions are part of a broader strategy to "asphyxiate" Iran's regime, pushing it towards complete global isolation or a path to normalcy with reintegration into the global economy. He stressed that America is no longer managing the Iranian threat but is ending it. The Treasury claims to have mapped every node, facilitator, and network Iran has used to smuggle oil and evade sanctions, with President Donald Trump having made phone calls to world leaders to cease interactions with the regime.