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// DOSSIER — us-sanctions-ground-iranian-flights-diplomatic-tensions
US Sanctions Ground Iranian Flights as Diplomatic Tensions Flare at UN General Assembly
REL_TIME: 26 Sep 2026 14:12Z · LANG: EN
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that US aviation sanctions under "Operation Economic Outcast" have grounded 80% to 90% of Iran's international flights, leaving the return route of the Iranian UN delegation uncertain. The sanctions have forced major regional carriers to suspend flights to Iran, prompting threats of retaliation from Tehran against cooperating neighboring countries. Meanwhile, high-stakes indirect diplomatic talks between US and Iranian envoys occurred on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly amid public threats of "annihilation" from President Donald Trump and internal political disputes within Iran over direct engagement with the US.
// Background
The diplomatic friction at the UN occurs against the backdrop of an active military and economic conflict. This includes a US naval effort to bypass an Iranian blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a devastating military strike on a primary school in Minab on February 28 that killed 120 children (which a UN mission linked to US forces), and reports of direct IRGC involvement in Yemen assisting Houthi forces along the Red Sea coast.
// Key Developments
- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent estimates 80% to 90% of Iran's external flights are shut down due to US secondary sanctions.
- Aviation authorities in the UAE, Azerbaijan, and Turkey (Turkish Airlines) have suspended flights to and from Iran.
- Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, threatened that neighboring countries cooperating with US flight bans would face disruptions at their own airports.
- US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a three-hour indirect meeting with Iranian mediators in New York.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi face intense domestic backlash from IRGC-affiliated hardliners over direct contact with US officials.
- The US Navy continues to secure the transit of 10 to 17 million barrels of oil per day through the contested Strait of Hormuz.
// Timeline
-
A strike on a primary school in Minab, Iran, kills 120 children, leading to a temporary suspension of classes nationwide.
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Scott Bessent holds a White House Press Briefing as Treasury Secretary.
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The US and Iran attempt an understanding via a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which later collapses.
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Treasury Secretary Bessent warns that Iranian airlines face a Wednesday deadline before secondary sanctions halt international flights.
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President Donald Trump addresses the UN General Assembly, threatening Iran; US envoys Witkoff and Kushner hold indirect talks with Iranian mediators.
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Bessent announces on Fox News that 80% to 90% of Iranian external flights are shut down; President Pezeshkian addresses the UN General Assembly.
// Perspectives
[US Treasury Department]
Advocating for maximum economic pressure via 'Operation Economic Outcast' to cut off Iran's financial resources and force them to negotiate a lasting deal.
[Iranian Supreme National Security Council]
Demanding the US meet seven conditions before reopening the Strait of Hormuz and threatening retaliation against regional neighbors cooperating with US sanctions.
[Iranian Hardliners and IRGC]
Condemning direct diplomatic contact between Foreign Minister Araghchi and US envoys as unauthorized, weak, and a 'major error'.
[US Presidency]
Alternating between threats of total military annihilation and expressing optimism for a post-election deal with Iran.
// Quotes
“I’m not sure how the Iranian representatives at the UN are gonna get home.”
“If they do not allow Iranian aircraft to travel, their own airports will not be able to have flights either.”
“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”
