GUANGZHOU: A Mahan Air commercial flight from Tehran landed in southern China on Wednesday, the same day Washington had threatened restrictions aimed at preventing international companies from providing services to Iranian carriers.
Flight IRM093 landed in Guangzhou at 4:39pm local time, or 0839 GMT, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
However, the flight did not appear on the official website of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, which Flightradar24 identified as the aircraft’s landing location.
The arrival came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that countries and companies providing Iranian aircraft with certain services could face restrictions involving access to the US dollar system.
Bessent Threatens Penalties for Servicing Iranian Aircraft
In a CNBC interview on Monday, Bessent said that from September 23, Iranian airlines would face a global shutdown under Washington’s measures.
He warned companies against supplying Iranian aircraft with fuel, landing services or ticketing facilities, saying entities that continued providing such assistance could face exclusion from the dollar system.
However, Bessent did not provide further details about how Washington planned to implement the restrictions internationally.
Furthermore, the US Treasury did not respond to an AFP request seeking clarification about the scope and enforcement of the measures.
Mahan Air Continues Selling Tickets in China
Meanwhile, Mahan Air staff in Shanghai told AFP on Wednesday morning that they had received no notification about flight cancellations.
Staff members said the airline continued selling tickets normally for flights scheduled during the coming week.
Iranian airlines currently operate regular direct services to several major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The Mahan Air flight’s arrival therefore indicated that at least one Iranian commercial service to China continued operating on Wednesday despite Washington’s announced deadline and warning over aviation-related serv
