The United Arab Emirates on Thursday said it had halted Iranian flights to and from its airports “until further notice” after the US imposed sanctions on companies serving the Islamic republic’s aviation sector. The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority said Iranian flights had been suspended “until further notice . . . in light of the US ban imposed on Iranian airlines from using airports in various countries around the world”.

The cessation of the route to Dubai follows the cancellation of flights to and from Oman, Azerbaijan and Baghdad this week. It came as a flight from Iran to Tajikistan turned back in mid-air as a result of the US measures. Data from Flightradar24 showed that flights between Tehran and Dubai scheduled for Thursday were cancelled or did not take off, including two services operated by Iran Airtour and one by Varesh Airlines.

The US this month imposed sanctions on dozens of airlines and other targets, accusing them of helping Iran move weapons and personnel. US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent then said that all 27 Iranian airlines would be “shut down around the world” from Wednesday. Also on Thursday, a Varesh Airlines flight bound for Dushanbe in Tajikistan from Tehran turned around before entering Turkmenistan’s airspace, according to Flightradar24.

Mahan Air, one of Iran’s largest carriers, has this week suspended flights to and from Istanbul, Ankara and Muscat, while Georgia suspended commercial flights to Tbilisi. However, on Thursday, services to Istanbul operated by Iran Air, Iran Airtour and ATA were still operating as planned. A travel agent in Tehran said her passengers to China and Turkey faced no disruptions on Thursday.