US sets Iranian airline shutdown on September 23; Bessent warns that non-compliant entities will be “kicked out of the dollar system” | Today’s news
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Iran’s airlines would be shut down worldwide until September 23, while threatening countries that allow Iranian planes to land or use any of their facilities with secondary sanctions.
In an interview with CNBC, Bessent said, “On September 23, all Iranian airlines worldwide will be closed.” He warned that any airport serving Iranian aircraft could face consequences from the US.
“If they land, you can’t give them fuel, you can’t give them landing services, you can’t sell them tickets or you’re going to be kicked out of the dollar system,” he said.
The comments came after Bessent concluded talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday night.
Bessent also said Washington was in productive talks with Beijing’s financial authorities, including People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng, about compliance with sanctions on Iran.
He also said Chinese officers were “very involved” in the economic pressure the US is putting on Iran.
The US imposed sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines earlier this month
In early September, the United States Treasury Department placed 27 Iranian airlines on its list of Specially Designated Nationals, targeting all commercial carriers in the country as part of its pressure campaign.
In a press statement, the ministry then claimed that “Iranian commercial airlines have long supported the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime.”
She also added that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) routinely uses private airlines to buy and transport weapons and ferry personnel.
The crackdown also targeted “covert shell companies, foreign intermediaries and deceptive transshipment routes that Iran relies on to obtain US-origin aircraft and sensitive technology,” the Treasury report said.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated four entities based in Turkey, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan to act as cargo service providers and general commercial agents for Mahan Air.
The OAFC also suspended authorizations that previously allowed overflights and also allowed non-US airlines to operate controlled commercial flights to Iran from the US or controlled commercial flights.
