Mahan Air's flights to Turkey may have been suspended, and the decision may have been notified to the relevant companies. However, no detailed decision text is publicly available regarding the date from which the flights were suspended, the airports covered or the specific services affected. No announcement explicitly confirming the measure has been issued by the relevant official aviation authorities in Turkey.
The development came after a new sanctions package targeting Iran's aviation sector by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). On September 8, 2026, the US Treasury Department added 36 targets to its sanctions list under Operation Economic Outcast. The package targeted 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.
According to the US Treasury Department, the new step follows sanctions imposed in April and July 2026 against individuals and entities providing services to Mahan Air's domestic and international flights. The department alleges that Iranian airlines operating under a commercial guise are used to transport weapons, personnel, sensitive technology and illicit cargo. This is the official position of US authorities and does not constitute an independent court ruling.
Mahan Air is not a new target of US sanctions. OFAC sanctioned the company on October 12, 2011, alleging that it provided financial, material and technological support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. The US State Department also targeted the company again in December 2019 under sanctions authorities aimed at individuals and entities supporting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Sanctions pressure expanded during the summer of 2026 through measures targeting networks serving Mahan Air. Three Turkey-based companies may have been added to the US sanctions list on September 9, 2026, over alleged ties to Mahan Air. These developments indicate that sanctions risks may extend beyond the airline itself to ground handling, logistics, aircraft supply, maintenance and financing chains.
If Mahan Air's Turkey flights have in fact been suspended, this could mean that the practical impact of US sanctions on the Turkey operations of an Iran-based airline has increased. However, based on the information currently available, 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.
