Iran has warned that it will target the airports of neighboring countries that cooperate with new U.S. sanctions against Iranian airlines. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, made the statement on Wednesday, declaring that any country involved in enforcing U.S. measures would face the suspension of their airport operations.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday that all Iranian airlines would be required to cease operations by Wednesday as part of an expanded sanctions campaign. The Treasury also indicated that countries permitting air services that enable continued Iranian flights would be subject to secondary sanctions.

In response to the U.S. sanctions, both Georgia and Azerbaijan have announced the suspension of flights operated by Iranian carriers. Flights to destinations including Baghdad, Muscat, and Qatar were also reported to have been halted, according to a travel agent in Tehran who spoke to Agence France-Presse.

Several airlines have adjusted their flight schedules in line with the sanctions. Turkish Airlines, AJet, and Pegasus have canceled flights to and from Iran, though Iranian airlines retain limited permission to operate flights between Turkey and Iran. Despite the Wednesday compliance deadline, data from FlightRadar24 showed that Mahan Air, an Iranian carrier under U.S. sanctions, flew a route from Tehran to Guangzhou, China. Additional flights from Tehran to cities such as Bangkok, Phuket, Shanghai, and Kabul were also recorded.

Iran’s threats mark a notable escalation, signaling a shift from targeting American assets within regional states to directly threatening these countries’ infrastructure. Bahraini political analyst Ahmed Alkhuzaiie told reporters that, while Tehran’s warnings would be taken seriously, he did not believe regional public opinion had shifted in Iran’s favor. He added that GCC countries were unlikely to yield to Iranian pressure.

Alkhuzaiie suggested that Iran might undertake a limited show of force against smaller states such as Bahrain or Kuwait in an effort to compel compliance before potentially expanding its focus to other Gulf nations.

As the sanctions take effect, the geopolitical landscape in the region is expected to become increasingly strained, with neighboring countries navigating between enforcing U.S. sanctions and managing Iran’s threats.