US threatens to ground Iranian airlines worldwide from Wednesday
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Iranian airlines could effectively be cut off from international travel from Wednesday, as Washington threatens foreign companies with secondary sanctions for continuing to provide services to the carriers, reports Al Jazeera.
“On September 23, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent told CNBC on Monday.
The warning extends beyond the airlines themselves to airports, fuel suppliers, ticketing companies and other businesses that provide services essential to their operations overseas.
“If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,” Bessent said.
The threat comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies its economic pressure on Tehran amid the ongoing war between the US and Iran.
Earlier this month, the US Treasury sanctioned all remaining Iranian airlines that had not previously been targeted, along with companies outside Iran that it accused of supporting the country’s aviation sector.
Iran’s aviation industry has already faced severe restrictions under years of US sanctions, which have limited Iranian carriers’ ability to purchase new aircraft and access spare parts and maintenance services.
The latest measures are part of a wider US sanctions regime designed to isolate Iran from the international financial system.
US secondary sanctions can target foreign companies doing business with Iran in sectors including energy, shipping, technology, gold and digital assets.
Bessent made the comments a day after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, ahead of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
China is among Iran’s key economic partners and diplomatic supporters, making Beijing’s cooperation potentially important to Washington’s efforts to restrict Tehran’s access to international finance.
Bessent said Chinese officials had been “very engaged” in the US pressure campaign.
He added that Washington was conducting what he described as positive discussions with Chinese financial authorities, including People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng, over compliance with US sanctions on Iran.