How the U.S. Treasury's New Aviation Sanctions on Iran Extend Beyond Tehran

The U.S. Treasury issued sweeping new sanctions against Iran on Tuesday, targeting the country’s airlines and their international service providers as it ramps up its effort to isolate Tehran from the global economy. The aviation sanctions form a significant part of the Trump Administration's ”Operation Economic Outcast,” which the White House has described as “an unprecedented campaign to sever every remaining economic lifeline sustaining the Islamic Republic of Iran.” As negotiations have stalled, and with the U.S. and Iran engaged in active hostilities once more, the economic pressure is intended to push Tehran into a deal to end the war. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines, accusing them of having “long supported the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities.” The sweeping measures were largely focused on grounding Mahan Air, which was first sanctioned by the U.S. in 2011 and is also subject to E.U. sanctions. The carrier has long been accused of transporting personnel, equipment, and funds for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).The measures build on OFAC’s April and July actions “targeting persons servicing M...