Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for over four hours early Thursday, causing major disruptions on a key East-West route, as tensions with the United States escalated over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on nationwide protests, according to pilot guidance issued by Iran.
International carriers diverted flights around Iranian airspace, though several domestic flights resumed after the closure expired just after 7 a.m. “Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” said the aviation website SafeAirspace, warning of potential missile launches or heightened air defense.
The closure coincided with U.S. advisories for some personnel at a military base in Qatar to evacuate and a “temporary halt” for U.S. personnel traveling to bases in Kuwait.
President Donald Trump made vague statements, saying plans for executions in Iran had stopped and promising that the U.S. would “act accordingly” to respond to the crackdown.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged negotiation over conflict, stating: “My message is: Between war and diplomacy, diplomacy is a better way, although we don’t have any positive experience from the United States. But still diplomacy is much better than war.”
The move came as Iranian authorities warned they would act quickly to punish thousands detained during protests that have reportedly killed at least 2,615 people, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, a toll surpassing any unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.