Can the US ban Iranian airlines worldwide – and what would it mean?

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced that all Iranian airlines could in effect be shut out of international operations from Wednesday as he warned companies against providing services to the country’s carriers. “On September 23, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent said on Monday. He warned that the sanctions are not only aimed at airlines but also at the operations chain. “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,” he said. The announcement marked a step up in US President Donald Trump’s “Operation Economic Outcast” to squeeze Tehran’s already battered economy.