Overview
- The Treasury designated 36 entities on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, including 27 Iranian carriers such as Mahan Air, Iran Aseman and Qeshm Air, widening OFAC’s blacklist to cover almost the entire commercial aviation sector.
- Officials suspended three aviation general licenses that had allowed overflight payments and the operation of U.S.‑origin aircraft in Iran, effectively cutting formal legal channels that helped Iran keep planes flying.
- The package names third‑country facilitators and executives in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia and Kazakhstan, including firms like ECT Aviation Support UAE/UK and Sky Phoenix, for providing parts, maintenance, cargo services and sales support.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that any company that continues to do business with the newly designated airlines risks exclusion from the global financial system, framing the steps as part of an ‘Operation Marginado Económico’ pressure campaign.
- The sanctions are likely to deepen shortages of spare parts and maintenance for Iran’s aging fleet, reduce international cargo and passenger links for ordinary Iranians, and raise the risk of further disruption to regional trade and energy markets.