{"id":301280,"date":"2026-09-29T10:33:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T06:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/?p=301280"},"modified":"2026-09-29T10:48:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T06:48:24","slug":"deutsche-welle-iran-will-become-increasingly-dependent-on-land-borders-and-indirect-routes-through-neighboring-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/en\/news\/301280\/","title":{"rendered":"Deutsche Welle: Iran will become increasingly dependent on land borders and indirect routes through neighboring states"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Earlier in September as part of “operation economic outcast,” the US Treasury Department targeted Iran’s aviation sector, including Iranian airlines and companies providing ground handling, ticketing or airport support, which face secondary sanctions and potentially lose access to the US financial system.<\/p>\n

The United States cannot directly order foreign airports to reject Iranian aircraft. But the threat of secondary sanctions can make servicing them too risky for airports, fuel suppliers and aviation companies.<\/p>\n

For Tehran, the aviation sanctions are another layer of Washington’s broader pressure campaign, alongside restrictions on banking, shipping, insurance and trade.<\/p>\n

Washington argues that Iranian airlines have served not only civilian passengers but also military and security networks.<\/p>\n

Foreign airlines had already sharply reduced services to Iran before the latest measures.<\/p>\n

Many passengers relied on Iranian carriers to reach regional hubs such as Istanbul, Muscat, Baghdad or Yerevan, then continued with foreign airlines.<\/p>\n

If those first connections disappear, Iran’s international aviation network could increasingly be reduced to a handful of routes that remain politically and commercially viable.<\/p>\n

The development also comes as Iran faces restrictions at sea. Disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, higher insurance and freight costs and pressure on southern ports had already made imports and exports more difficult.<\/p>\n

If maritime trade becomes more expensive while air links also contract, Iran will become increasingly dependent on land borders and indirect routes through neighboring states.<\/p>\n

Iranian flights to Baghdad and Muscat have been suspended or canceled, while Azerbaijan and Georgia also stopped accepting flights operated by Iranian carriers. An Iranian travel agency told DW anonymously for safety reasons that routes to Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Georgia have been seriously disrupted.<\/p>\n

On September 24, Turkmenistan refused permission for an Iranian aircraft flying from Tehran to Dushanbe to cross its airspace, forcing the plane to return to Iran.<\/p>\n

Turkey, Armenia and China have not announced blanket restrictions, the agency said, but passengers were increasingly reluctant to buy tickets because even a confirmed booking did not guarantee departure.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"