Flight Operations of Mahan Air Over Saudi Arabia Banned

The Saudi Aviation Authority announced on Monday, April 5, that it has revoked all permits granted to Mahan Air, which allowed its aircraft to land at Saudi airports and transit through the country's airspace. Although the Saudi Aviation Authority cited 'flight safety' issues as the reason for this action, the revocation of Mahan Air's permits comes at a time when Tehran and Riyadh are experiencing heightened political tensions and lack diplomatic relations. The statement from the Saudi Aviation Authority indicated that several violations of regulations and breaches of international flight safety laws by Mahan Air's aircraft were observed, leading to the revocation of the permits. The statement added that the revocation was 'in accordance with the law and aimed at protecting the lives and safety of passengers.' Mahan Air is the first private Iranian airline, established in 1992 in Kerman, and is named after the city of Mahān, located 35 kilometers from Kerman. The major shareholder of the airline is the Mowla al-Muwahhidin Charity Foundation. The U.S. Treasury Department announced in 2011 that Mahan Air has close ties with the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to U.S. officials, Mahan Air transports personnel, weapons, and equipment for the IRGC's overseas branch, especially in countries like Syria and Iraq. The U.S. claims that Mahan Air deliberately removes records of flights by IRGC personnel to conceal information about their missions. Following the Houthi takeover of Sanaa, Yemen's capital, an air transport agreement was signed between Iran and the Houthi militia. Under this agreement, Yemenia Airlines and Mahan Air operate direct flights between Tehran and Sanaa. Saudi Arabia views the Houthi takeover of Sanaa as a 'coup against the legitimate government' and has launched airstrikes against Houthi positions as part of an Arab coalition. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of providing political and military support to the Houthis. Mahan Air has been sanctioned by the U.S., and despite the implementation of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West, U.S. sanctions against Mahan remain in place. On January 3 of last year, in response to attacks on its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad by Iranian protesters, Saudi Arabia severed its relations with Iran. The attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions were in protest against the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Saudi Shia cleric. Sheikh Nimr, who was condemned for 'terrorist' activities, was executed alongside 37 others, most of whom were al-Qaeda members. Following Saudi Arabia's actions, several other Arab countries cut their relations with Iran or downgraded their diplomatic ties. Recently, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister, whose country has also severed diplomatic relations with Tehran, stated that Gulf Arab countries are ready to confront the foreign policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He added that Iran must cease its support for certain groups in the Middle East. Iran and the Gulf countries have significant disagreements on many regional issues, including Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Recently, the Gulf Cooperation Council designated Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, as a 'terrorist organization' and has begun actions to pressure this group. Iran and Hezbollah are allies of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, while Gulf Arab countries support the Syrian opposition. Iran's southern neighbors also accuse Tehran of interfering in their internal affairs. Some of these countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, report the arrest of armed cells linked to Iran, an accusation that Tehran denies.