ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that all Iranian airlines will be “shut down around the world,” as Washington continues to pressure third countries to cut ties with Iran, days after Tehran announced flights to Oman and Turkey were canceled.

“On September 23rd, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent told CNBC on Monday, adding that Washington is pressuring Iran “like never before.”

In late August, Washington 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.

“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 added.

On Thursday, Mahan Air, an Iranian airline sanctioned by the US for alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), announced that decisions made by Omani and Turkish aviation authorities have led to the cancellation of flights between Iran and Oman from September 17 and those to Turkey from September 21 “until further notice.”

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.”

On Saturday, Imam Khomeini Airport City urged passengers to disregard what it described as “rumors regarding flights,” and to continue their travel according to their tickets, adding that “the suspension of Mahan Air flights to Istanbul and Ankara does not mean that all flights between Iran and Turkey have been halted,” the semi-official Student News Agency (SNN) reported.

Iran Air on Monday said that flights across the country to Iraq’s Najaf Airport were operating according to the scheduled timetable, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported.

In May, Bessent warned that Washington would shut down Iranian airlines’ access to landing spots as part of its pressure campaign against Tehran.

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