Iran flights to Baghdad, Muscat cancelled ahead of US aviation sanctions

Iranian authorities have ordered the cancellation of flights to Baghdad and Muscat from midnight, Tasnim News Agency reported, as the country’s civil aviation organization seeks alternative arrangements. A spokesman told Tasnim that officials are negotiating with Iraqi counterparts to redirect services destined for Baghdad to Najaf Airport. Iran’s ISNA news agency added that talks with Oman were ongoing and that other international routes, such as those to Istanbul, were expected to continue for now. The cancellations come ahead of U.S. measures that Washington says will effectively halt operations of Iranian airlines by barring foreign aviation service providers from refuelling, handling landings, or selling tickets to Iranian carriers. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking to CNBC, warned that companies providing such services would face secondary sanctions and could be excluded from the dollar-based financial system. U.S. officials characterize this tactic as a way to cut off essential operational support without directly closing foreign airspace. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera told reporters that while the United States cannot legally shut down other countries’ airspace, pressuring local refuelling and ground-handling firms can produce a de facto grounding of affected carriers. The sanctions build on earlier Treasury Department measures issued this month through OFAC, which tightened restrictions on trade, energy and financial transactions with Iran, and on expanded secondary sanctions announced in late August covering shipping, technology, gold and digital assets. Despite the mounting pressure from Washington, Tehran has signalled some openness to mediated talks. Iranian officials have engaged with regional actors, and ISNA and Tasnim reported ongoing negotiations with Oman and Iraq over flight logistics. At the same time, Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei told Al Jazeera that Tehran remained defiant toward U.S. threats and said the country was prepared for a decisive war, while also indicating willingness to pursue Qatar-mediated negotiations for a longer-term resolution.