The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) suspended flights by all Iranian airlines to and from the country's airports starting Thursday, September 24, with no timeline given for when the measure will be lifted. Officials said the step aligns the UAE with US restrictions targeting Iranian carriers at airports worldwide.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had warned that any country or company providing fuel, landing services or ticket sales to Iranian airlines risked being cut off from the US dollar financial system. "You cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system," he said.
The suspension follows a UAE Central Bank decision barring Bank Melli Iran's eight branches in the country from processing financial transactions with Iran, after the bank was found to have failed to comply with anti-money laundering regulations. It extends a broader wind-down of trade, commercial and financial ties between the UAE and Iran that was announced the previous month.
Authorities have not specified conditions for lifting the flight suspension, saying only that it will remain in place until further notice. The move is likely to affect travel for passengers and Iranian nationals resident in the UAE, raising questions over continued access to direct flights between the two countries amid tightening US pressure on Tehran.