Mahan Air, one of Iran’s largest airlines, has suspended flights on several key international routes amid escalating U.S. sanctions targeting Tehran’s aviation sector. The airline notified travel agencies that flights between Tehran and Istanbul, as well as Ankara, would be halted starting Monday. Additionally, flights connecting Tehran and Muscat, Oman, ended on Sunday.

The airline attributed the cancellations to decisions made by aviation authorities in Turkey and Oman, but did not offer further explanation. These disruptions come shortly after the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation industry, accusing them of facilitating the movement of weapons and personnel. Although Mahan Air has been under U.S. sanctions for some time, the latest measures included ground service providers and sales agents associated with the airline, based primarily in Turkey and other countries.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who announced the sanctions alongside penalties on 27 other carriers, warned of additional consequences for those maintaining business ties with Iranian airlines. “Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines ... You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system,” he stated.

The sanctions form part of the broader strategy pursued by the Trump administration to apply economic pressure on Iran amid heightened tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. Since the outbreak of conflict involving U.S. and Israeli forces earlier this year, foreign airlines have largely suspended operations in Iran, contributing to growing challenges within the country’s aviation sector.

Industry observers have described the shrinking Iranian aviation market as spreading “like metastasizing cancer.” Taher Abdollahi, an aviation expert cited in local media, reported that Iran Air currently operates just nine aircraft, with many others out of service or needing significant repairs.

Infrastructure damage has compounded these operational hurdles. Israeli sources indicated that approximately 30 Iranian aircraft across various carriers had sustained damage due to bombings, with only 10 having been restored to operational status.

While other airlines continue flights to destinations such as Istanbul and Muscat, industry analysts expect them to potentially join the growing list of carriers cutting routes to and from Iran as sanctions and security concerns intensify.