Iran Air flight lands in Istanbul despite expanded US sanctions

Flight IR719 departed Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and arrived at Istanbul Airport at 10:43am local time, according to FlightStats. The flight was operated by an Airbus A330-200. 

The arrival came as Washington stepped up pressure on Iranian airlines and warned foreign companies that provide services to them that they could face secondary sanctions.

On 8 September, the US Treasury Department sanctioned 36 individuals and entities connected to Iran’s aviation sector, including 27 Iranian airlines that had not previously been designated under the measures announced that day. Treasury said the action targeted networks it accused of helping Iran obtain aircraft, aviation technology and other support. 

Iran Air was not among those 27 airlines newly designated on 8 September. The airline was already subject to US sanctions, with the Office of Foreign Assets Control listing Iran Air under Iran-related sanctions and identifying it as subject to secondary-sanctions risk. 

The pressure intensified on 21 September when US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Iranian commercial airlines would be shut down worldwide from 23 September. He warned that foreign airports and service providers could face exclusion from the US financial system if they continued providing fuel, landing services or ticket sales to Iranian carriers. 

Iran Air said on Tuesday that its flights to Istanbul, Baku and Najaf would continue because it had received no official instruction from the aviation authorities in Türkiye, Azerbaijan or Iraq to suspend them. The statement was carried by Iranian state media. 

Flight-tracking data showed IR719 operating on the Tehran-Istanbul route on Wednesday, with the aircraft arriving in Istanbul at 10:43am after a delay of more than an hour. The same aircraft, registered EP-IJC, is an Airbus A330-243 operated by Iran Air. 

The situation differs from that of Mahan Air. The Iranian carrier suspended its Istanbul and Ankara services from 21 September after Turkish aviation authorities instructed it to halt flights, according to notices issued by the airline. 

Türkiye Today reported that Türkiye’s State Airports Authority continued to list Iran Air among carriers holding passenger-service and cargo-handling permits at Istanbul Airport through 30 September. 

The continued Iran Air service does not by itself establish that Türkiye has violated US sanctions. The US measures primarily create restrictions and risks for companies and other entities that provide services to sanctioned Iranian carriers.

For now, Iran Air’s Tehran-Istanbul service remains operational, with IR719 completing its scheduled journey on 23 September despite Washington’s new sanctions deadline.