Refusal to Supply Fuel to Iranian Aircraft in Turkey; 'One Flight Canceled'

According to reports, due to the refusal of fuel supply companies at Istanbul Airport to provide fuel to Iranian airlines on Friday, November 11, at least one flight was canceled, and some aircraft flew with fewer passengers. Reuters reported that some of these planes had to change their routes or reduce their number of passengers to continue their journey with less fuel. At least one Iranian flight was canceled at this airport, according to the news agency. According to the Demiroren news agency in Turkey, one of these planes reduced its expected passengers from 160 to 100. Airlines such as Mahan Air, Ata, Qeshm, and Asman operate on the Tehran-Istanbul route. Turkey's Tupras, the largest aviation fuel supplier in the country, had previously announced that it would refrain from supplying fuel to Iranian aircraft until Turkey was exempted from U.S. sanctions. Bloomberg reported on Friday that the U.S. has generally agreed that eight countries can continue to purchase oil from Iran after the sanctions begin. Bloomberg mentioned four countries: South Korea, India, Japan, and China, while the identities of the other four countries remain unclear. Meanwhile, Turkey's energy minister announced that the country has been exempted from U.S. oil sanctions against Iran. During the previous round of U.S. and EU sanctions, several European countries and some regional countries, including Kuwait and the UAE, refrained from supplying fuel to Iranian passenger aircraft. After the Vienna nuclear agreement, it was announced that these restrictions had been lifted, and fuel was provided to Iranian aircraft in most European capitals. U.S. officials have stated their goal of reducing Iranian oil exports to zero, but in some cases, they have temporarily granted exemptions to some of their allies to import oil from Iran. However, Abdolnaser Hemmati, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, stated on Friday that the U.S. has failed to reduce Iran's oil sales to zero 'for any reason or pretext.' He announced that the Central Bank has a plan that is appropriate to changing conditions, even in the very unlikely event of minimal oil exports. Mr. Hemmati did not provide details of this plan. The U.S. government announced on Friday, November 11, the reinstatement of all suspended sanctions against Iran under the JCPOA nuclear agreement. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also stated that under the reinstatement of sanctions, over 700 individuals and entities, including 300 new cases, will be added to the U.S. sanctions list. These sanctions, which will take effect on Monday, November 14, target Iran's transportation, financial, and energy sectors.