Iran temporarily closes airspace amid US tensions and anti-government protests, forcing flight cancellations and disruptions worldwide.

Iran Protest : The Federal Aviation Administration filed a notice late Wednesday stating that Iran temporarily blocked its airspace to the majority of incoming and departing flights due to rising tensions with the United States.

“The notice stated that the restriction would be in effect from 10:15 p.m. UTC on Wednesday until 12:30 a.m. UTC on Thursday.” Later on, the time was extended from 1:14 am to 3:30 am UTC.

As of 8:30 a.m. ET, aircraft were circling Iranian airspace, according to live data from flight tracker FlightRadar.

What International flights to and from Tehran were exempt from the directive as long as Iran’s civil aviation authorities granted prior consent.
Trump Makes Intervention Threats

After US President Donald Trump vowed to intervene after a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran, tensions increased, leading to the closing of airspace.

Trump seemed to soften his tone afterward. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday night, Trump said he would “watch it and see” about possible US military action after receiving assurances that the executions of demonstrators in Iran had ceased.

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The United States has pulled some of its troops from American military installations in the Middle East after Iran threatened to attack them if Washington attacked.

In recent days, a number of airlines have canceled or rescheduled flights to Tehran. Iran’s airspace ban may affect some of India’s overseas flights, the country’s biggest airline, IndiGo, announced Thursday.

Germany issued a warning to its airlines earlier this week not to fly into Iranian airspace. With some flights canceled, the Lufthansa Group announced on Wednesday that it would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice.

All US commercial flights are not allowed to fly over Iran, according to the US. Over the past week, several flights to Iran have been canceled by airlines, including Turkish Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways.