US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Thursday that the United States will halt Iranian airlines' access to landing spots, refueling, and ticket sales as part of efforts to intensify pressure on Tehran and open the Strait of Hormuz.
Bessent warned that 'only a satisfactory outcome in negotiations will end the downward spiral.'
The Treasury Secretary did not specify which airlines would be affected, but mentioned that valid humanitarian reasons, such as pilgrimages to Mecca or Medina, would be allowed.
The move comes after the Treasury unveiled sanctions on Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority,' an agency that collects fees for traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has effectively closed the waterway, a key path of energy transit, after US-Israeli strikes on Iran from February 28. Energy costs have soared since.
