US Vows Total Global Grounding of Iranian Airlines by Sept. 23

​WASHINGTON — United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has issued a stern ultimatum, declaring that all Iranian commercial airlines will face a complete global shutdown.

​Speaking in an interview on Monday, Bessent emphasized that tightening American sanctions will effectively freeze Tehran’s civil aviation network out of international skies. The sweeping financial directive puts foreign airports, fuel suppliers, and ticket vendors on notice, warning that any entity providing services to Iranian aircraft risks being completely cut off from the U.S. dollar financial system.

​”On September 23, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent stated. “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.”

ADVERTISEMENT

​The impending restriction follows an aggressive wave of U.S. sanctions rolled out earlier in the month by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Those measures targeted 36 entities tied to Iran’s aviation sector—including 27 commercial carriers—alongside foreign intermediaries and front companies accused of helping the Islamic Republic procure restricted aviation technology and transfer military personnel.

​The escalating economic crackdown coincides with the ongoing conflict between the U.S.-Israeli alliance and Iran, which is approaching its seventh month. The hostilities erupted in late February following sweeping joint strikes that eliminated Iran’s supreme leader and high-ranking military commanders. In response, Tehran blockaded the strategic Strait of Hormuz, triggering a major spike in global energy and oil markets.

​International fallout from Washington’s latest warning has already begun to ripple across borders. Authorities in Baghdad announced that Iraq would suspend all incoming and outgoing flights operated by Iranian carriers. Meanwhile, Georgia restricted Iranian aircraft from using its ground facilities, and Iranian carrier Mahan Air voluntarily suspended its routes to Turkey following direct requests from Ankara.

​Bessent’s announcement preceded high-level economic discussions in Washington with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, laying groundwork for upcoming diplomatic summits. While China remains one of Tehran’s primary economic lifelines and diplomatic allies, Washington’s aggressive secondary sanctions aim to choke off remaining global conduits keeping Iran’s aviation and financial networks afloat.