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Foreign Policy

U.S. Hits Iran’s Aviation Industry With Crippling Sanctions

The Trump administration accused the 36 entities targeted this week of supporting the Islamic Republic’s efforts to use its aviation sector to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

“Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a press release. Gerald Herbert/AP

By Associated Press

September 8, 2026 11:22 a.m.

By Farnoush Amiri

The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on additional elements of Iran’s aviation industry, targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines as well as foreign cargo service providers in its new push to isolate Tehran from its remaining trading partners.

The latest actions are part of the Trump administration’s Operation Economic Outcast campaign that is aimed at severing “critical financial lifelines” for the already heavily sanctioned Iranian government. The new penalties target the remaining facets of Tehran’s already beleaguered aviation ecosystem, which Washington has sanctioned for years.