U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sept. 21 that all of Iran’s airlines will be shut down across the globe on Sept. 23 as the United States targets Iran’s aviation sector.
“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 in a Sept. 21 interview with CNBC.
The United States will begin imposing secondary sanctions this week on foreign entities that continue to provide services to Iranian airlines, according to Bessent.
Bessent’s announcement comes nearly a month after the United States launched Operation Economic Outcast. Since the start of the operation, the U.S. government has imposed new sanctions against Iran. It has also targeted dozens of entities and individuals that serve as financial lifelines for Tehran in an effort to isolate Iran’s economy….