Credited from: CHANNELNEWSASIA
The United States has implemented sanctions targeting all remaining Iranian airlines, including **27 carriers**, under a broader initiative to pressure Tehran amid ongoing conflict in the region. Announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, this move is part of **"Operation Economic Outcast,"** designed to cripple Iran's access to the global financial system as tensions heighten in the Middle East, which has now entered its seventh month of war, according to South China Morning Post, Middle East Eye, and Reuters.
The sanctions aim specifically at **grounding Mahan Air** and expanding restrictions to all Iranian aviation sectors, targeting **covert firms** and **foreign intermediaries** believed to support Iran’s procurement of US-origin aircraft. Notably, the sanctions also entail an alert for financial institutions to monitor procurement networks aiding Iran's aviation industry, especially firms in the **UAE** and **Turkey** that facilitated these activities, according to India Times and Channel News Asia.
As the **conflict escalates**, with prior US-Israeli airstrikes that led to the deaths of high-ranking Iranian officials, the sanctions will further complicate Iran's economic situation, particularly its aviation sector. By targeting **cargo service providers** and companies facilitating support for Iranian airlines like Mahan Air, the US is aiming to effectively remove Iran's aviation operations from the global market, which **Bessent** described as a significant step in their economic strategy, as stated by Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye.
In light of these actions, any foreign firms or individuals supporting Iranian airlines in any capacity will face severe penalties, including the freezing of US assets and a ban from global financial systems. This aggression indicates the escalating complexity and dangers in the ongoing geopolitical strife, emphasizing that Iran's choices are now starkly presented as isolation or engagement, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.