ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Mahan Air, an Iranian airline sanctioned by the US for alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), announced Thursday that it will be suspending flights to destinations in Turkey and Oman, coming as Washington continues to pressure third countries to sever ties with Tehran.

The airline announced that decisions made by Omani and Turkish aviation authorities have led to the cancelletion of flights between Iran and Oman from Thursday and those to Turkey from September 21 "until further notice."

Despite Mahan Air's attribution of the decision to the aforementioned civil aviation bodies, no publicly available statements have been made by Muscat or Ankara as of yet.

Based in Tehran, the privately owned airline has been sanctioned by the United States since 2011 on account of its alleged support for the IRGC's Quds Force, which is responsible for covert operations and support efforts to Iran's regional proxies, calling it the force's "airline of choice for moving weapons, military personnel, and equipment."

The US Treasury in November 2025 accused Mahan Air of working "to arm and supply Iran-backed terrorist groups throughout the Middle East," citing its alleged weapons transfers to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese Hezbollah.

Similarly, the European Union in 2024 sanctioned the company on the basis that it worked to supply war material to Russia to support Moscow's war in Ukraine.

In late August, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced 'Operation Economic Outcast,' a large-scale sanctions package on Iran that seeks to clamp down on third parties that directly and indirectly support the Iranian regime via facilitating its oil exports and shadow economy.

"Countries cannot claim they are blind to this activity. Iran’s enablers purchase [and] transport its petroleum... they turn a blind eye to seaborne fuel transfers and overland transit… They condone illicit use of their banks, all the while concealing the extent of their complicity," he said.

On September 8, Bessent, while announcing additional sanctions on Iranian airlines, said: "Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system."

Both Turkey and Oman permitted Mahan Air to continue operating at its airports in spite of the European and American restrictions, with Thursday's announced curtailment set to mark a major blow for the company's operations in the Middle East.

In early September, the US Treasury launched "Iran-related" sanctions on Turkey’s Golden Global Investment Bank and its subsidiaries, accusing them of facilitating tens of millions of dollars in transactions for the IRGC's Quds Force, with US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack insisting that "this designation is aimed at the conduct of one entity, not at a nation, not at a banking system, and not at an ally."