US sanctions 36 Iran aviation firms in economic pressure

The United States has imposed a new set of sanctions targeting Iran's aviation industry, aiming to intensify economic pressure on Tehran. The US Treasury Department announced 36 Iran-related sanctions on Tuesday, focusing on commercial and private airlines and the firms that service them.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the action fulfills a promise of severe consequences for those supporting Iran. "Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran's remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system," Bessent said.

Expanding sanctions on airlines

The new penalties expand long-standing restrictions on the privately owned Iranian airline Mahan Air. Sanctions now also target other Iran-based aviation companies and foreign firms providing them with parts and logistics services. Washington has previously accused Mahan Air of transporting weapons and support to Tehran's allied armed groups in nations like Lebanon and Yemen.

According to the source, the US has accused companies in Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia of providing such services to Iranian airlines. The sanctions freeze any assets these entities have under US jurisdiction and extend to countries and companies that conduct business with them.

A strategy of economic isolation

This move is part of a broader Trump administration campaign dubbed "Operation Economic Outcast," designed to isolate Iran. Since President Donald Trump returned to office for a second term in 2025, he has sought to heighten pressure on the Iranian government. The administration has pursued a strategy of economic restrictions, which Secretary Bessent claimed would amount to the "toughest sanctions in history."

Last month, Trump announced a series of measures to further squeeze Iran's economy, likening them to an "economic D-Day." These latest aviation sanctions follow that pattern. Iran has faced years of heavy economic restrictions, with Mahan Air under US sanctions as far back as 2011 over accusations it supported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Ongoing military conflict

The economic pressure continues alongside open warfare. The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, which hit its six-month mark in August. The conflict grinds on without a conclusion in sight. As recently as Tuesday, the same day the sanctions were announced, the US struck Iranian tankers, while Iran launched attacks on US military forces in Jordan.

One persistent issue in the conflict is the Strait of Hormuz, a important channel for global fossil fuel trade. Iran restricted passage through the strait at the war's outset, causing fuel prices to surge worldwide. In response, the Trump administration announced its own naval blockade and enhanced sanctions to sever Iran's economic lifelines.

Iranian dismissal of the measures

Iranian officials have dismissed the latest US actions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to the new sanctions with sarcasm in a social media post on Tuesday. "After failing to achieve its aims through sanctions or war, Washington's 'novel' solution is... More sanctions. Seriously?" Araghchi wrote.

The US strategy aims to cut off financial lifelines to the Iranian regime through comprehensive economic pressure, with the aviation sector as the latest target.