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US Treasury chief says Iran airlines to be ‘shut down’ on Sept 23

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The Straits Times. (2026, September 21). US Treasury chief says Iran airlines to be ‘shut down’ on Sept 23. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-treasury-chief-says-iran-airlines-to-be-shut-down-on-sept-23

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The Straits Times · collected 2026-09-21 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on September 21 that Iranian airlines would face global shutdown starting from September 23 due to increased American sanctions. He warned that providing fuel or landing services to these airlines would result in being barred from the US dollar system. This action follows previous sanctions and includes barring interactions with all remaining Iranian airlines, impacting operations in Iraq and Georgia already.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 21, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that starting from September 23, Iranian airlines would be unable to function globally due to American sanctions. This announcement came seven months into the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes in February that killed Iran's supreme leader and senior military officials.

The sanctions will prohibit any country or company from providing services such as fueling, landing rights, or ticket sales to Iranian airlines; violators face expulsion from the dollar system. In response, Iraq has suspended all flights by Iranian carriers starting at midnight on September 23, affecting airports in Baghdad and Najaf. Other countries like Georgia have also banned Iranian flights.

Iran's aviation industry, already under significant sanctions pressure for years, is now facing a near-complete shutdown as the conflict escalates. Tehran has warned that it might retaliate against non-compliant nations, threatening regional aviation stability if its airlines are further restricted from accessing airports globally.

Written for “US Sanctions On Iran Airlines” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 US Sanctions On Iran Airlines
Politics · 7 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly right and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
U.S. Treasury chief says Iran airlines to be ‘shut down’ on September 23 Same event
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 0 of 10 claims Outlet record 60/100
Iraq suspends Iranian flights to Baghdad after US sanctions threat: Report Same event
Times of India
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 2 of 18 claims Outlet record 59/100
Iran airlines cancel flights as U.S. sanctions hit Same event
National Post
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 4 of 23 claims Outlet record 60/100
Iraq seeks exemption from U.S. ban on Iran airlines Different event
The Hindu
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A reports on US Treasury Secretary Bessent's announcement of sanctions against Iranian airlines, while Article B discusses Iraq seeking an exemption from those sanctions several days later.”
Iraqi airports halt Iranian flights after new US aviation sanctions Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses US Treasury chief's announcement about shutting down Iranian airlines on September 23, while Article B reports on Iraqi airports halting flights to and from Iran days after the sanctions were announced.”
Iran flights to Baghdad, Muscat cancelled ahead of US aviation sanctions Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes Treasury Secretary Bessent's announcement about shutting down Iranian airlines globally on Sept 23, while Article B reports on flight cancellations from Iran to Baghdad and Muscat starting at midnight ahead of the sanctions. Although related, these are separate events.”
UAE bars Iranian airlines as US sanctions squeeze Iran’s aviation sector Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes US Treasury chief's announcement about shutting down Iranian airlines on September 23, while Article B reports on UAE's action of halting flights by Iranian airlines a few days later.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
7
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

The Straits Times
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 2813 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

Iran Iranian Tehran US Treasury the United States

Subjects

Iran GPE · 9× Iranian NORP · 7× Bessent PERSON · 3× Tehran GPE · 3× the United States GPE · 3× AFP ORG · 2× Chinese NORP · 2× Israel GPE · 2× US Treasury ORG · 2× NEW YORK GPE · 1×

Narrative

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Sept 21 that Iranian airlines will have trouble functioning globally in two days under the weight of American sanctions, as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Tehran.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Sept 21 that Iranian airlines will have trouble functioning globally in two days under the weight of American sanctions, as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Tehran.
2026-09-21 · The Straits Times
US Treasury chief says Iran airlines to be ‘shut down’ on Sept 23 · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)

US Treasury chief says Iran airlines to be ‘shut down’ on Sept 23 NEW YORK - asserted
airlines → say → Sept
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Sept 21 that Iranian airlines will have trouble functioning globally in two days under the weight of American sanctions, as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Tehran. asserted
administration → warn → Tehran
On Sept 23, “all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent told CNBC in an interview as the war launched by the United States and Israel nears the seven-month mark. asserted
war → shut → mark
“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 added. asserted
he → land → system
The move follows earlier US sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry and Bessent’s “economic D-Day” threat on Iran and pledge to choke off Tehran financially. asserted
move → follow → Tehran
Two Iraqi sources told AFP on Sept 21 that Baghdad would suspend flights by Iranian airlines following the US Treasury’s announcement. asserted
Baghdad → tell → announcement
Also on Sept 21, Georgia barred Iranian carriers from its land, while Iranian airline Mahan said it suspended service to Turkey at the request of the Turkish government. asserted
it → bar → government
The United States and Iran have been at war since late February, when US-Israeli strikes killed the Islamic republic’s supreme leader and senior military officials at the start of a broad offensive. asserted
strikes → kill → offensive
Tehran countered by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for energy transit, causing global oil prices to surge as the conflict spread in the Middle East. asserted
conflict → counter → East
Earlier in September, the United States said it imposed sanctions on “all remaining Iranian airlines” that had yet to face such penalties. asserted
that → say → penalties
The Treasury Department also took aim at targets for supporting Iran’s aviation sector, including firms based outside Iran. asserted
Department → take → Iran
Iran’s air space was completely shut after the US-Israel alliance launched attacks in late February. asserted
alliance → shut → February
Since then, some travel has resumed but only for flights run by Iranian carriers. asserted
travel → resume → carriers
Bessent’s comments came a day after he met with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng for economic talks laying the groundwork for President Donald Trump’s summit on Sept 24 with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. asserted
he → come → Jinping
Iran’s aviation sector has long grappled with sanctions, which have restricted its ability to acquire aircraft, spare parts and maintenance services. asserted
which → grapple → aircraft
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