On September 8, the United States Treasury designated 27 Iranian airlines for sanctions, effectively severing what remained of Iran's commercial aviation from the global network. By the time a wind-down period expired on September 23, neighboring countries had closed their airspace and airports to Iranian carriers, leaving millions of civilians without reliable means of international travel. The measure, framed as targeting military procurement, lands most heavily on ordinary people — those seeking medicine, education, and family — caught between the logic of geopolitical pressure and the rhyt
US aviation sanctions force Iranian travelers to costly overland routes
Thousands of Iranian civilians face significantly longer and more expensive travel, with some unable to visit family abroad; young Iranians blocked from taking international exams; medical supply costs rising 10-fold, straining healthcare.