US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said Iranian airlines could "effectively be shut out of global operations" from Wednesday and threatened foreign companies providing services to Tehran’s aviation sector with secondary sanctions.
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Bessent on Monday said, “on September 23, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world”.
“If they land, 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,” Bessent said, according to Al Jazeera.
The warning comes as the Trump administration expands its sanctions campaign aimed at restricting Iran’s access to international financial and commercial networks.
Earlier this month, the US treasury department imposed sanctions on additional Iranian airlines as well as companies outside Iran accused of supporting Tehran’s aviation sector.
Iran’s aviation industry has already faced years of US sanctions, limiting Iranian carriers’ ability to acquire new aircraft and access spare parts and maintenance services.
The latest measures are part of a broader US sanctions regime targeting Iran’s economy, including its energy, shipping, technology, gold and digital-asset sectors. Secondary sanctions can subject foreign companies doing business with sanctioned Iranian entities to restrictions on access to the US financial system.
Bessent’s comments came a day after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
China is a key economic partner and diplomatic supporter of Iran, making Beijing’s cooperation significant to Washington’s efforts to restrict Tehran’s access to international finance.
According to Al Jazeera, Bessent said Chinese officials had been “very engaged” in discussions over the US pressure campaign. He also said Washington was holding positive talks with Chinese financial authorities, including People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng, on compliance with US sanctions targeting Iran.
