Tehran International Flights Fall 42% After U.S. Sanctions, Tracking Data Show

International flights to and from Tehran's main airport have fallen sharply since new US sanctions targeting Iran's aviation sector took effect, according to flight-tracking data cited by CBS News and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

International air traffic at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport has fallen sharply following new US sanctions targeting Iran. [Photo: Princeofpersia1, Wikimedia Commons]

An average of about 53 international flights a day operated to and from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport after the US measures took effect on Sept. 23, compared with an average of about 91 flights a day before the sanctions, according to data from FlightRadar24 cited by AFP.

That represents a decline of approximately 42% in average daily international flights.

The US measures are part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to increase economic pressure on Iran.

Washington has warned foreign governments and companies that violating US sanctions could expose them to penalties and restrictions on access to the US financial system.

Iranian air traffic had already fallen substantially after the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran earlier in the year, temporarily closing the country's airspace. International services gradually resumed afterward, although the aviation network remained significantly reduced.

Since the resumption of international flights, Iranian carriers have accounted for much of the remaining service from Iran.

Following the latest US measures, flights between Tehran and several regional destinations have been disrupted.

Services to Georgia, Oman and Azerbaijan were among the routes reported to have stopped, while traffic on other routes declined.

The flight reductions illustrate the broader impact of sanctions on Iran's international connectivity, although flight-tracking data alone do not establish that every canceled or reduced service was caused directly by the US measures.