Mahan Air’s flights to Türkiye may have been suspended on September 16, 2026, and the decision was communicated to the relevant companies. However, no detailed public decision text shows from which date the measure took effect or which airports and flights it covered. No announcement clearly confirming the measure has been issued by the relevant official aviation authorities in Türkiye.
The development came after a new sanctions measure by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeting Iran’s aviation sector. On September 8, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department placed 36 targets on its sanctions list under Operation Economic Outcast.
The package covered Iran’s remaining active airlines, as well as companies in third countries that provide aircraft, parts, logistics, financial and general sales agent services to the aviation sector. The department said the measure continued sanctions imposed in April and July 2026 against individuals and entities serving Mahan Air’s domestic and international flights.
U.S. authorities allege that Iran-based, commercially presented airlines are used to transport weapons, personnel, sensitive technology and illicit cargo. This assessment represents the official U.S. position and does not constitute an independent court ruling.
Mahan Air is not facing U.S. sanctions for the first time. On October 12, 2011, OFAC sanctioned the company for allegedly providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. In December 2019, the U.S. Department of State again targeted Mahan Air under sanctions authorities aimed at individuals and entities supporting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
In the summer of 2026, the pressure expanded through new measures targeting networks that provide services to Mahan Air. On September 9, 2026, three Türkiye-based companies were placed on the U.S. sanctions list over alleged links to Mahan Air. The sanctions risk thus extended beyond the airline to potentially include ground handling, logistics, aircraft supply, maintenance and financing chains.
If the suspension of Türkiye flights is confirmed, it could indicate that U.S. sanctions are having a growing practical impact on an Iran-based airline’s operations in Türkiye. However, based on the available information, it remains unclear whether the measure is being implemented directly by Turkish authorities or through airport operators and service providers, and what will happen to passengers and tickets.
