France halts Iran-Europe air connection amid sanctions dispute

Tehran-Paris flight scheduled for Friday, the only direct connection between Iran and a European capital, has been unilaterally canceled by France, according to Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Farzaneh Sadegh.

The cancellation comes amid strained relations between the European Union (EU) and Iran, particularly following EU sanctions imposed in October 2023, which accused Tehran of supplying missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

As part of these measures, the EU blacklisted Iran Air, Iran’s state-owned airline, which was previously the only Iranian carrier operating flights to Europe. Tehran strongly rejected the accusations, calling the sanctions an “hostile act.”

Despite the sanctions on Iran Air, Iran’s civil aviation authority had announced in mid-January that flights to Europe would resume at the end of the month, with a Tehran-Paris route operated by the private airline Iran Airtour.

However, on Friday, Minister Farzaneh Sadegh, cited by Iranian news agency ISNA, confirmed that the flight had been canceled:

Beyond Iran Air, two other Iranian airlines, Saha Airlines and Mahan Air, are also targeted by EU sanctions. Iran’s aviation sector has been severely impacted by decades of international sanctions, which have prevented the country from purchasing new aircraft, spare parts, and accessing essential maintenance services.