Check your airline’s status
Mahan Air has been under US sanctions since 12 October 2011. Where things stand:
- The UAE stopped flights by all Iranian airlines from 24 September, until further notice. That includes Mahan Air’s Dubai flights
- Mahan Air suspended its Istanbul and Ankara flights from 21 September
- Mahan Air suspended its Muscat flights from 17 September
- Iraq stopped Iranian flights at Baghdad airport from 23 September, and at Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports from 25 September, until further notice
- On 29 September, Iraq’s Transport Ministry said the US had granted Iraqi Airways an exemption for flights between Najaf and Iran. Iranian airlines are not covered and are still barred from Najaf
- Its flight to Guangzhou, China, still landed on 23 September. No suspension had been announced for its routes to Pakistan, Thailand or India
What to do
- Booked to or from Dubai, Istanbul, Ankara, Muscat or any Iraqi airport? That flight is suspended. Ask Mahan Air, or whoever sold you the ticket, for a refund or a new booking
- Confirm your flight is operating with the airline or your travel agent before you head to the airport
- Seeing a flight for sale does not guarantee it will fly. Airline schedules can take time to update after a suspension, so confirm with Mahan Air directly
Iran Air has been on the US sanctions list since November 2018. Its only stops outside Iran are Najaf, Baghdad and Istanbul. Where things stand:
- The UAE stopped flights by all Iranian airlines from 24 September, until further notice. Iran Air’s own routes do not go there, but any trip connecting in the UAE on an Iranian airline is off
- Iraq is one of Iran’s most important travel markets, especially for pilgrims visiting Najaf and Karbala
- Iraq stopped Iranian flights at Baghdad airport from 23 September, and at Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports from 25 September, until further notice
- Iraqi Airways, not Iran Air, holds the US exemption for Najaf to Iran flights
What to do
- Booked to or from Baghdad or Najaf? That flight is suspended. Ask Iran Air, or whoever sold you the ticket, for a refund or a new booking
- Flying to or from Istanbul? Confirm your flight is operating with the airline or your travel agent before you head to the airport
Sanctioned since 8 September 2026. It flies from Tehran to Türkiye, Iraq, the UAE and Germany. Where things stand:
- The UAE stopped flights by all Iranian airlines from 24 September, until further notice. That includes Qeshm Air’s UAE flights
- Iraq stopped Iranian flights at Baghdad airport from 23 September, and at Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports from 25 September, until further notice
- Only Iraqi Airways has a US exemption for Najaf to Iran flights
- Its other routes were not automatically cancelled on 23 September, but treat each one as at risk until confirmed
What to do
- Flying to or from the UAE or Iraq? Those flights are suspended, so ask Qeshm Air, or whoever sold you the ticket, for a refund or a new booking
- On any other route, confirm your flight is operating with the airline or your travel agent before you head to the airport
Put simply, the US has blacklisted nearly every Iranian airline, saying some have carried weapons and military personnel. Mahan Air and Iran Air were already on the list; 27 more joined on 8 September 2026.
The ban works indirectly: airports, fuel suppliers and ticket sellers face US penalties for serving them. The grace period ended 23 September. The UAE, Türkiye, Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Georgia have turned some or all of these flights away. Foreign airlines flying into Iran are affected too, so check those.
Iraq has since obtained a narrow exception. On 28 September, the US Treasury licensed Iraqi Airways to fly between Najaf and Iran until 28 October 2026 at the latest. The flights must leave from and return to Najaf International Airport and may only carry Iranian passengers who are religious pilgrims.
The license can be revoked at any time. Iraq’s Transport Ministry says the flights start in October, and no schedule has been published yet.
If your trip only connected through Iran on an Iranian airline, search the whole journey again and pick a routing that avoids Iran.
Rooms near your rerouting hub
A suspended connection often means an unplanned night at the hub you were routed through. Istanbul, Dubai, Baghdad and Muscat all had hotel rooms on Wego on 24 September.
These four cities are not the only ones affected. Search hotels wherever you are actually rerouted through.
Questions
Which Iranian airlines are affected by the September 2026 US sanctions?
The US Treasury sanctioned 27 more Iranian airlines on 8 September 2026. Mahan Air and Iran Air were already under US sanctions, while Qeshm Air was one of the 27 newly added airlines.
What happens on 23 September 2026?
A US wind-down period ended at 12:01 a.m. US Eastern time. After it, foreign firms need special US permission to keep serving sanctioned Iranian airlines, and foreign airlines lost a general permission to fly US-built or US-part aircraft into Iran. It did not automatically cancel every flight, so check your booking with the airline or travel agent.
Has my flight already been cancelled?
Not automatically, but many have. The UAE has stopped all Iranian airline flights, Mahan Air has suspended its Türkiye and Oman routes, Iraq has stopped Iranian airline flights at Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, and Azerbaijan and Georgia have suspended Iranian flights. Iraqi Airways has a US exemption for Najaf to Iran pilgrim flights until 28 October 2026 at the latest, and Iraq says those flights start in October. Check your booking directly with the airline or your travel agent for its current status.
Are Najaf to Iran flights running again?
Not confirmed yet. Iraqi Airways has a US license for Najaf to Iran flights carrying Iranian pilgrims, valid until 28 October 2026 at the latest, and Iraq’s Transport Ministry says service starts in October. Reports on 28 September that flights had already resumed were called false by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization.
Can I get a refund if my Iranian airline flight is cancelled?
That depends on the airline’s own policy and the country you booked from. Refunds are handled by whoever issued your ticket: the airline, or the travel agent or booking site you bought it from.
What’s the alternative if my Tehran flight is grounded?
Direct options are shrinking. Turkish Airlines and AJet have no Iran flights scheduled before March 2027, and Pegasus has removed its Iran routes. One option is to travel overland to a neighbouring country, such as Türkiye, Iraq, Armenia or Pakistan, and fly on from there. Book the onward leg once your original flight’s status is confirmed.
Sources
- US Department of the Treasury, sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines under Executive Order 13902, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- US Department of the Treasury, confirming Mahan Air was designated in October 2011, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- US Department of the Treasury, Iran Air added to the sanctions list on 5 November 2018, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- Holland & Knight, on the suspended foreign-airline permission and the 23 September wind-down deadline, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- US Department of State, on Mahan Air’s role moving personnel and equipment for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- Al Jazeera, explainer on the worldwide shutdown deadline and named carrier routes, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- Turkish Minute, Mahan Air suspends all Türkiye flights from 21 September, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- Oman Observer, Mahan Air suspends Tehran to Muscat from 17 September, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- AFP, via International News and Views, Iraq moving to suspend sanctioned Iranian carriers, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- Turkish Minute, Turkish Airlines, AJet and Pegasus Iran schedules, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- APA, Azerbaijan suspends Iranian airline flights from 22 September, retrieved 24 September 2026.
- Reuters, via US News, Iraq suspends Iranian flights to Baghdad, retrieved 24 September 2026.
- Al Jazeera, Iraqi airports halt Iranian flights after new US aviation sanctions, retrieved 29 September 2026.
- US Department of the Treasury (OFAC), License No. IA-2026-1516078-1 to Iraqi Airways, issued 28 September 2026, copy published by Shafaq News, retrieved 30 September 2026.
- The National, Iraqi Airways to resume Iran flights amid US sanctions pressure, retrieved 30 September 2026.
- Arab News, US to allow Iran pilgrims to fly to holy city in Iraq, retrieved 30 September 2026.
- Arab Times, Iran denies Najaf flight resumption reports, retrieved 30 September 2026.
- AFP, via Free Malaysia Today, Georgia and Azerbaijan suspensions and flights still operating on 23 September, retrieved 24 September 2026.
- Wego flight search, sampled 23 September 2026, in USD.
- The National, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority suspends Iranian airline flights from 24 September until further notice, retrieved 25 September 2026.
- Al Jazeera, UAE bars Iranian airlines and Iran’s aviation authority says talks are under way, retrieved 25 September 2026.
- Wego hotel search, sampled 24 September 2026, in USD.
How these figures were produced
- Flights were searched through the Wego API on 23 September 2026, and hotel rates re-sampled on 24 September 2026.
- Every Tehran to Istanbul and Tehran to Dubai result on Wego included a sanctioned Iranian airline, and Tehran to Baghdad, Najaf and Muscat returned no fares, so no direct Tehran booking link is shown.
- Iraq’s airport suspensions and the Iraqi Airways exemption were rechecked on 30 September 2026. Other government and airline positions were rechecked on 25 September 2026 and change daily. Treat each status as what the sources listed had confirmed on the retrieval date, not a live flight-tracking feed. A Qatar suspension reported by a single Tehran travel agent is not included until confirmed.
Disclaimer: We’ve worked hard to make sure the information in this article is as accurate and up to date as possible at the time of publishing. Travel details such as prices, schedules, visa rules, and entry requirements can change at short notice, so it remains your responsibility to verify the current details with official sources before you book or travel. Wego accepts no liability for any loss or inconvenience arising from the use of this content.
