OFAC Sanctions 36 Targets for Backing Iran's Aviation Sector

OFAC sanctioned 36 individuals and entities for supporting Iran's aviation sector and evading sanctions to procure U.S.-origin aircraft and technology.

OFAC found that (i) Iran uses commercial airlines to transport weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo; (ii) a previously designated Iranian airline received at least three aircraft in summer 2026, diverted through the UAE and Oman using temporary registrations; (iii) a UAE-based aviation support company and a Turkey-based airline acted as intermediaries in the transfer; and (iv) four cargo-service providers and general sales agents in Turkey, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan coordinated shipments for the airline, including drone components and U.S.-origin aircraft parts.

Twenty-seven Iranian airlines were designated under Executive Order 13902 as operating in Iran's aviation sector. The remaining nine were designated under Executive Order 13224. Six were cited for materially assisting Mahan Air. Three were cited for their ownership or leadership ties to those six. OFAC had designated Mahan Air under the same order in October 2011 for supporting the IRGC-Qods Force, and the State Department designated it under Executive Order 13382 in December 2019.

In a concurrent Alert, FinCEN warned that Iranian airlines use front companies across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia to buy aircraft components and dual-use items. Red flags include newly incorporated aviation or logistics companies with opaque ownership making large purchases of aircraft parts, and aircraft undergoing frequent re-registrations or layered ownership changes before sale.

All property and interests in property of the designated persons in the United States or held by U.S. persons are blocked, as are entities of which they own 50 percent or more. Separately, OFAC suspended three Iran-related aviation authorizations covering overflights and non-U.S. airlines flying U.S.-origin or U.S.-controlled aircraft into Iran. OFAC said it will consider aviation safety-related requests case by case.