Iran's Mahan Air Suspends Turkey Flights as US Sanctions Hit Turkish Intermediary Firms

Iranian carrier Mahan Air suspended all flights between Tehran and Istanbul/Ankara starting September 21, following an expanded US Treasury sanctions package announced September 8 covering 36 targets and 27 Iranian carriers. The sanctions also named three Turkey-based companies — Sky Phoenix, S Sistem and Mes Cargo — accused of helping transfer Boeing 777 aircraft to Mahan Air via the UAE and Oman and coordinating shipments, including drone components, bound for Iran, deepening the fallout from Washington's pressure campaign on Turkish firms doing business with Tehran.