Iran Shutters Western and Central Airspace to International Overflights
Iran's transportation ministry has disclosed that it will be closing the western and central sections of its airspace to all flights. This decision comes only a few days after the nation had opened these zones to international transit flights.
Majid Akhavan, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, announced on Wednesday that the decision to close the airspace was reached by a coordination committee within Iran’s civil aviation authority. This decision was made after considering various security and safety concerns.
The nation’s central and western airspace has once more been shut off to international overflights. However, the airspace in the eastern part of the country remains open for domestic, international, and transit flights, according to Akhavan, as reported by Press TV.
He announced that airports in the southern, northern, and western regions of Iran, such as Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports in Tehran, will remain closed. Furthermore, both domestic and international flights in the area have been canceled, with the suspension extended until Thursday at 14:00 local time.
Iran has reopened its airspace over central and western regions for international overflights as of Saturday. This decision comes just four days after hostilities concluded with a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Iran’s airspace was partially reopened on June 25, following the announcement of a ceasefire just a day earlier.
This enabled the repatriation of tens of thousands of Iranian pilgrims who had been in Saudi Arabia since early June, following the completion of their hajj rituals.
Authorities have yet to provide a clear rationale for the closure of Iran’s central and western airspace on Wednesday. However, there is speculation that this decision could be linked to potential violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli regime, which may be preparing to launch renewed attacks on Iranian territory.
The escalation of hostilities initiated by Israel against Iran on June 13 has elicited a robust counteraction from Iranian military forces. In response, Iran launched missile and drone strikes targeting multiple locations within Israeli-occupied territories, significantly disrupting international aviation operations across the West Asia region.
Iran has issued a warning that any future retaliation in response to new attacks would be significantly more severe than the measures taken in the previous month.
