The Council of the European Union has imposed sanctions on three Iranian airlines - IranAir, Mahan Air, and Saha Airlines - over their alleged involvement in transferring Iranian-made missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia for use against Ukraine. The Iranian government denies the charges.
Although the Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2698 stated that the bloc did not "intend to impede air traffic or people-to-people contacts between the Union and Iran in general," the sanctions effectively halted all remaining scheduled flights between the European Union and Iran. The ch-aviation schedules module shows that IranAir was the only carrier operating these routes (serving Cologne/Bonn, Frankfurt International, Hamburg Helmut Schmidt, Milan Malpensa, Paris CDG, Rome Fiumicino, and Vienna).
The United Kingdom simultaneously imposed sanctions on Iranian citizens and entities but did not designate any airlines. IranAir can thus theoretically continue serving London Heathrow, but it has also cancelled those flights as it is impractical to operate them without transiting EU airspace.
All flights by EU airlines to Iran are currently suspended due to security concerns.
The decision entered into force immediately on October 14, 2024, and follows a warning from early September, when both the EU and some of its member states individually announced a plan to impose sanctions and terminate bilateral air service agreements with Iran in response to its supply of missiles to Russia.
The Council of the EU, which comprises ministers representing all 27 member states and has the final say on issues of the bloc's foreign and security policy, imposed an asset freeze and travel ban on the three airlines. It also prohibited any transactions by EU individuals or companies with these airlines.
IranAir and Saha Airlines are both state-owned entities, with the latter controlled through the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. Mahan Air, while notionally privately owned, has long been linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-Quds), a government militia.
IranAir did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment. None of the three airlines issued any statements, although Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi denied that Iran provided any ballistic missiles to Russia.
Besides the three airlines, the EU also sanctioned four other companies and seven individuals, including Seid Mir Ahmad Nooshin, the director of the Aerospace Industries Organisation, and Mehdi Gogerdchian, the managing director of HESA Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries.
IranAir and Mahan Air (but not Saha Airlines) are also sanctioned by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control.
