US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that all Iranian commercial airlines will be shut down worldwide beginning Wednesday, according to Anadolu.
“On September 23rd, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent told CNBC, describing a sweeping secondary sanctions effort aimed at cutting off Tehran’s civil aviation network.
Bessent said international airports and service providers that support Iranian aircraft could be excluded from the US banking system. He warned that foreign operators risk losing access to dollar clearing if they refuel Iranian planes, provide landing services, or sell tickets for their flights.
Iranian officials had not immediately issued a public response to the planned aviation restrictions.
Bessent also warned third-party entities assisting Tehran that Washington has identified financial intermediaries involved in facilitating transactions. “We’ve seen enablers throughout the world. We know who they are. They know who they are, and we are putting a stop to it,” he said.
Asked whether talks included potential Chinese enforcement, Bessent said the issue was raised during meetings. He said Washington is pursuing “quiet, behind-the-scenes discussions” with multiple countries rather than relying on public confrontations, adding that Chinese financial officials, including People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng, remain “very engaged in the process.”
On the expected length and intensity of the pressure campaign, Bessent did not say whether it would last “one week, one month, or six months,” but said the strain on Iran is “like never before.”
The aviation restrictions come as Washington expands economic pressure on Tehran under Operation Economic Fury amid the Iran war, now in its seventh month. The conflict began in late February after coordinated US-Israeli strikes and has led to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, repeated regional missile exchanges, and growing pressure on Iran’s commercial and financial channels.
