The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned 36 targets Tuesday, including Iran’s 27 remaining active airlines, as Washington moved to isolate Tehran and disrupt aviation networks that officials say carry weapons, personnel and illicit cargo.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control said the remaining nine targets included eight companies and one individual connected to front companies, foreign intermediaries, cargo services and transshipment routes that Treasury said Iran uses to obtain U.S.-origin aircraft and sensitive technology.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, President Donald Trump ordered Treasury to launch Operation Economic Outcast on August 24. The campaign targets Iranian oil revenue, shipping, aviation, technology procurement and other financial channels.
“Under Operation Economic Outcast, we promised severe consequences for those providing financial lifelines to the Iranian regime,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Bessent also warned that people and businesses dealing with Iran’s newly sanctioned airlines risk losing access to the global financial system.
All remaining active airlines targeted
OFAC designated the 27 carriers under Executive Order 13902 for operating in Iran’s aviation sector. The list includes Iran Air Tour, Iran Aseman Airlines, Qeshm Air, Kish Airlines, Zagros Airlines, Taban Airlines, Saha Airlines, Ata Airlines Company and Karun Airlines Company. OFAC published the full list with the September 8 action.
OFAC suspended three Iran-related aviation authorizations at the same time. The authorizations had allowed overflights and permitted non-U.S. airlines to fly U.S.-origin or U.S.-controlled commercial aircraft into Iran. The agency said it will consider aviation safety requests individually.
Mahan Air already faced U.S. sanctions before the September 8 action. OFAC designated the airline in October 2011 for supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force. The State Department separately designated Mahan Air in December 2019 under an authority targeting weapons-of-mass-destruction proliferators and their supporters.
The September 8 move also follows July sanctions against six entities and individuals in China, India, Russia and Iran that supported Mahan Air and the IRGC, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Aircraft procurement network
Mahan Air received at least three Boeing 777 aircraft in summer 2026 after intermediaries diverted them through the United Arab Emirates and Oman, Treasury said.
UAE-based ECT Aviation Support LLC and Türkiye-based Sky Phoenix Hava Yollari Tasimaciligi Ticaret Limited Sirketi served as intermediaries. Each aircraft came from a retired fleet and received a temporary registration while passing through ECT Aviation Support UAE, according to Treasury.
OFAC also sanctioned ECT founder and owner Ibrahim Ali Mohamed Mohamed Mahran, ECT’s United Kingdom subsidiary and UAE-based Aerobravo Airplane Management and Operation LLC. Treasury said Aerobravo operated aircraft owned by ECT’s UAE entity.
Cargo firms and financial alert
OFAC designated four other businesses for servicing Mahan Air’s international flights: Türkiye-based S Sistem Lojistik Hizmetler Anonim Sirketi and Mes Cargo Transportation Tourism and Foreign Trade Limited Company, Malaysia-based Icargo SDN BHD and Kazakhstan-based Tour Invest LLC.
Treasury said S Sistem coordinated shipments that included unmanned aerial vehicle components and industrial equipment bound for Iran. Icargo coordinated shipments of U.S.-origin parts to Iran on Mahan Air’s behalf.
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an alert on September 8 asking financial institutions to identify and report suspicious activity involving procurement networks that support Iran’s aviation industry. The alert identifies warning signs involving front companies in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The September 8 sanctions block all property and interests in property of the designated targets that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons. U.S. persons must report those assets to OFAC. The measures also block any entity in which one or more blocked persons hold an aggregate ownership stake of at least 50%. Violations can trigger civil or criminal penalties.
Provided by Dallas Express
