In a direct response to recent U.S. Treasury sanctions targeting three Turkish ground service and logistics firms for ties to Iran’s privately owned Mahan Air, Turkey has announced it will halt all flight operations for the Iranian carrier, senior Turkish government officials confirmed to Middle East Eye in a Friday briefing.
The entry into force of the suspension is set for September 21, and will cover every inbound and outbound route operated by Mahan Air between Turkey and Iran, according to the officials. Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) rolled out a wide-ranging sanctions regime that targets not just Iranian civilian aviation firms, but also third-party ground handling providers, cargo operators, and aircraft parts suppliers that do business with blacklisted Iranian entities.
The sanctions framework included a short grace period for global businesses to wind down existing commercial relationships with sanctioned Iranian firms, while issuing a clear warning that any third-country service providers continuing engagements could face punitive U.S. measures. Three Turkish firms — S Sistem, Mes Cargo, and Sky Phoenix — were specifically named in the sanctions round for their work with Mahan Air, with U.S. regulators citing activity that includes supplying aircraft components, providing general sales agency services, and facilitating aircraft purchases for the carrier.
One senior Turkish official explained to Middle East Eye that the blacklisting of the three Turkish-based companies makes clear that risks from U.S. enforcement now reach every segment of Mahan Air’s operational supply chain in Turkey. “The risk now extends to every Turkish entity providing services to Mahan Air, from airport operations and ground handling to ticketing and banking. This could disrupt services and trigger further investigations,” the official said.
Turkish officials were careful to clarify that this decision does not represent a blanket ban on all Iranian air carriers operating in Turkish airspace and airports. Instead, the Turkish government will maintain a dynamic risk assessment process for other Iranian airlines, weighing factors including its existing bilateral aviation agreement with Tehran, core flight safety standards, and the potential for additional U.S. sanctions that could expose more Turkish companies to punitive penalties.
Prior to the suspension, Mahan Air maintained a robust operational footprint in Turkey, running a minimum of three daily flights between Istanbul and Tehran alone. On Friday, the airline itself issued a confirmation that it would end all services to and from Turkey starting September 21, adding that it would also suspend flight operations to Oman and Georgia in a parallel move, expanding the scope of service disruptions for the carrier across the broader Middle East and South Caucasus region.