Syria Has Not Granted Flight Permissions; Flights from Iran Canceled Until January 22

Hosseinpourfarzaneh, the head of the Civil Aviation Organization, announced today that "Syria has suspended flights from Iran until January 22," and therefore, there are no official flights between the two countries. This government official emphasized that "the destination country must grant us permission to fly," recalling that during the "tensions in Syria," flights from Iran were operational with "special permits." He did not provide details about these "special" flights. The official also reported that flights between Iran and Lebanon are ongoing. The Islamic Republic has sent military aid and personnel to Syria through airlines during Bashar al-Assad's era. The head of the Civil Aviation Organization, like other Iranian officials who attribute all problems and inefficiencies to "sanctions," stated that "after the European Union's sanctions against Iran Air, we faced difficulties in securing medicine and transporting medicine to the country." Recently, the European Union imposed new sanctions against the Iranian government due to its role in the war in Ukraine and the supply of weapons to Russia, with the sanctioning of Iran Air being one of them. According to the sanctions announced on Monday, October 15, the names of three airlines, Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Saha, as well as Hamzeh Ghalandari, the deputy defense minister of the Islamic Republic, are among those sanctioned. The European Union stated that the aircraft of these companies have been "repeatedly used to transfer Iranian-made drones and related technologies to Russia," which Russia has employed in its "aggressive war" against Ukraine. Israel welcomed the new European sanctions against the Iranian government, deeming them necessary. The Islamic Republic's reaction to the new round of EU sanctions was that they are "unjustified." Britain has sanctioned "Iran Air" and the Islamic Republic's shipping. European passengers are being transferred to Turkey by "Iran Air" following flight restrictions to Europe. Israeli attacks on Hezbollah bases continue; "Iran Air" has canceled flights to Beirut.