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An Iranian official said that the closure was based on a decision by a coordination committee within the country’s civil aviation authority, citing ongoing security concerns
Iran partially closes airspace to all flights | Representative Image
Iran’s transportation ministry on Wednesday announced the closure of its western and central airspace to all flights, just days after it had reopened those corridors for international overflights.
Ministry spokesperson Majid Akhavan said that the closure was based on a decision by a coordination committee within the country’s civil aviation authority, citing ongoing safety and security concerns.
“As a result, the country’s central and western airspace was closed again to international overflights, but the eastern half remains open to domestic, international, and transit flights,” Akhavan said.
Airports located in Iran’s southern, northern, and western regions—including Tehran’s Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports—will also stay shut.
Akhavan confirmed that flight cancellations for both domestic and international routes in these areas have been extended until Thursday at 14:00 local time.
Iran had initially reopened its central and western skies for transit flights on Saturday, four days after a ceasefire with Israel was declared, bringing a halt to a recent round of conflict.
A partial reopening had begun on June 25, the day after the truce.
The earlier reopening had enabled the return of tens of thousands of Iranian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia following the completion of this year’s Hajj.
Israel To Break Truce?
It remains unclear why Iranian authorities opted to shut down the country’s central and western airspace on Wednesday, though speculation has surfaced that the move may be linked to concerns over a possible breach of the ceasefire by Israel.
Tensions escalated sharply after Israel launched strikes on Iran beginning June 13, prompting a retaliatory response from Iran’s military, which targeted sites in Israeli-occupied territories using drones and missiles.
The exchange caused significant disruption to air travel across the West Asia region.
Iran has since cautioned that any future assault would be met with an even stronger military response than the one carried out last month.
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