The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced on Thursday that all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country have been suspended with immediate effect and until further notice. The move follows a fresh round of US sanctions targeting Iran's aviation sector, which Washington says effectively bars Iranian carriers from operating at airports worldwide.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had earlier warned that, starting September 23, "all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world," cautioning that any entity providing services to them would risk exclusion from the dollar-based financial system. The sanctions are part of Washington's intensifying pressure campaign against Tehran amid a military confrontation between the two countries that has escalated since late February 2026.
The GCAA did not name specific Iranian carriers affected by the order, but confirmed the suspension covers both passenger and cargo operations by Iran-registered airlines. The authority said it would keep travellers, travel agencies and other stakeholders updated on any developments regarding the resumption of normal air traffic.
The disruption is expected to affect the travel plans of thousands of Iranian residents and visitors in the UAE, particularly as the autumn travel season approaches. Regional aviation analysts have warned that such suspensions typically push affected passengers toward costlier indirect routings through third countries, adding both time and expense to journeys between the UAE and Iran.
The UAE's decision mirrors similar restrictions imposed by other Gulf states in recent days, as diplomatic and economic pressure from Washington mounts. Industry observers note that the situation remains fluid, with any resumption of flights likely to hinge on the broader trajectory of US-Iran negotiations rather than a fixed timeline set by Emirati authorities alone.