Iranian Airlines Continue International Flights to Thailand and Elsewhere Despite US Sanctions

Iranian airlines continued operating their flights on September 23 (local time) when the United States implemented secondary sanctions aimed at halting international operations by Iranian carriers, Bloomberg reported.

According to the report, six flights departing Iran for Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, and Kabul in Afghanistan, were tracked on the flight-tracking website Flightradar24 in the hours following the scheduled start of the sanctions.

Flight schedules indicating departures from Iran's main airport, Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, to destinations such as China, Turkey, Dubai, and Najaf in Iraq were also confirmed.

The U.S. had warned that starting on this day, airport operators and companies providing refueling and other services to Iranian airlines could become targets of secondary sanctions.

Pavina Jariyatitipong, president of Airports of Thailand (AOT), stated on this day that they had received no regulations or instructions from the Thai government or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explaining that flights operating under international procedures could not be grounded.

However, she left open the possibility of suspending operations should Thai authorities issue such an order.

Sarun Benjanirat, deputy director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), said he had not received any instructions from anywhere, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to suspend flight operations.

Iranian airlines have been operating through a restricted aviation network since the war began in February of this year, and foreign airlines have not resumed flights to Iran since.

Among countries connected to Iran by air, only two—Georgia and Azerbaijan—have officially announced complete bans on flights by Iranian airlines through their aviation authorities.

Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported on September 22 that flights from Tehran to Baghdad in Iraq and Muscat in Oman had been suspended following instructions from local authorities.

At the same time, it mentioned the possibility of using Najaf, Iraq—which holds significant religious importance for Shia Muslims—as an alternative landing destination for flights heading to Baghdad.

Mahan Air, Iran's second-largest airline, announced that it would indefinitely suspend all flights operating between Turkey and Oman starting last week, in accordance with authorities' instructions.

However, this was Mahan Air's measure, and some other Iranian airlines were found to have operated routes to Turkey on this day.

Flights operated by Pouya Air and Iran Airtour departed for the Turkish resort city of Izmir.

Mahan Air has continued to operate domestic and international flights despite facing U.S. sanctions due to its ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

On September 23, at least six international flights operated by Mahan Air were in the air.

Among them, three were bound for China, two for Thailand, and one for Afghanistan.

Later, according to confirmation by Bloomberg, there were at least seven commercial flights from Iran heading to Istanbul from Tehran, including flights operated by the state-owned carrier Iran Air.

Iran Air stated on September 22 that it had not received any notice of a flight ban.

Out of 24 flights scheduled to depart Tehran and arrive at Istanbul International Airport on September 23, six were shown to have been canceled during the day, but the majority were operating normally.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with CNBC this week that foreign airports would be barred from providing refueling, ticket sales, and other services to Iranian airlines, and through these sanctions, "all Iranian airlines will stop operating worldwide starting the 23rd."

Secretary Bessent stated that those who ignore the sanctions "will be cut off from the dollar system."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.