Legal and Diplomatic Follow-up to Lift Restrictions on Iran's International Flights

The suspension of Iranian flights to several regional countries continues. Following U.S. sanctions, Oman and Azerbaijan have become focal points of consultations to restore flight routes, and efforts to lift these restrictions are being pursued through ICAO.

According to the Mehr reporter, the continuation of restrictions and the suspension of a part of Iran's foreign flights following the US sanctions against 27 Iranian airlines, since the beginning of October, the country's flight network has faced challenges in establishing air connections with some neighboring countries and the region. The situation that continues despite diplomatic follow-ups and efforts to remove the existing obstacles, and has highlighted the necessity of returning the suspended flight routes to the country's air transportation network more than before.

In the meantime, the cancellation or restriction of Iranian flights to destinations such as the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Baghdad, Oman and the United Arab Emirates has drawn attention to the consequences of the new US sanctions against Iran's aviation industry. Restrictions that, in addition to affecting the movement of passengers, can also affect Iran's air connections with countries in the region and the process of exchanges between the parties.

However, not all flight paths have progressed in the same way. While the re-establishment of some flights is still awaiting the removal of obstacles and the completion of consultations, the Iran-Iraq air route has finally entered the implementation phase after weeks of restrictions and suspensions.

Flights from Iran to Najaf resumed on Monday, October 13, with the first flight of Iran Air on the Tehran-Najaf route. The incident that took place after the US imposed sanctions on Iranian airlines and restricted flights to some countries in the region, following consultations between Tehran and Baghdad to remove the existing obstacles.

The resumption of this route took place in a situation where Iran's flights to some other countries in the region are still limited, and the follow-up to restore the stopped routes to the country's flight network continues.

Oman and the Republic of Azerbaijan; Two paths waiting for assignment

In the same context, Abuzar Shiroudi, head of the Civil Aviation Organization, told Mehr reporter about the organization's latest measures to re-establish canceled foreign flights, pointing to the continuation of problems on some routes: Regarding the sanctions and the countries that have complied with these sanctions, it can be said that we are having problems with the country of Oman and the flights that we had before to this country have not been established for the time being.

Recalling the diplomatic follow-up to remove these restrictions, he added: Consultations in this field are being carried out on a large scale by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and another issue is flights to Azerbaijan, which is also being followed up again.

The statements of the head of the Civil Aviation Organization show that in addition to the resumption of Tehran-Najaf flights, the return of some foreign routes still depends on the outcome of consultations and the removal of the obstacles created; An issue that necessitates simultaneous diplomatic and operational follow-up in the conditions of continued flight restrictions.

Legal follow-up of flight restrictions in ICAO

Despite the continuing consultations to re-establish flights, one of the focus of the civil aviation organization is to document the restrictions applied and provide the basis for the official plan of protests in international forums.

Referring to the way some countries announced the suspension of flights, Shiroudi clarified: The countries I mentioned, after the recent sanctions, officially announced that the flights have been stopped.

He continued: In some cases, the countries had not officially announced that the flights had been stopped, but had announced to some airlines to cancel their flights. Since the Civil Aviation Organization needs official documents to file an official complaint in international forums and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it sent a written letter to these countries and asked them to announce the official reason for the suspension of flights.

The head of the Civil Aviation Organization emphasized: We have sent letters to all these countries and raised our objections in ICAO. The 239th meeting of ICAO will be held next month and we will certainly raise this issue in that meeting.

Based on these statements, pursuing the issue of Iran's flight restrictions is not only limited to bilateral negotiations to return the stopped routes, but documenting the decisions made by the destination countries and raising objections in international forums is also on the agenda. An action that aims to provide the basis for the official follow-up of these restrictions.

Hoping for the return of suspended flights

In addition to the routes that are still facing restrictions, the head of the Civil Aviation Organization announced the continuation of Iran's flights to some countries and said: There are also countries that have not complied with these sanctions and Iran's flights to them are still maintained.

He reminded: Regarding the two or three countries that have complied with the recent sanctions, both from the Civil Aviation Organization and through our friends in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are seriously following up on the matter so that the flights can be re-established.

In the end, Shiroudi pointed out that he had received signs of the possibility of progress in the follow-up process and noted: We have also received signals in this regard and we hope that flights will be re-established in the not-so-distant future.

These statements are made while the return of the suspended flights to the country's air network, in addition to diplomatic follow-ups, depends on clarifying the status of the imposed restrictions and finding a solution to remove the existing obstacles. However, receiving positive signals from the negotiation process can be a sign of continued efforts to resume air communications with some countries in the region; However, the exact time of the resumption of these flights has not been announced yet.

Consequences of stopping foreign flights; Beyond passenger transportation

The importance of the continuity of foreign flights is not limited to the transfer of passengers. The international flight network is one of Iran's communication routes with the countries of the region, and its continued activity can play a role in facilitating transportation, maintaining communication between countries, and moving goods and essential items, including some medicines.

From this point of view, any long-term disruption in foreign flights can, in addition to making direct trips between Iran and destination countries difficult, also challenge the process of exchanges and communication between the parties. For this reason, determining the assignment of the stopped routes and returning them to the country's flight network is not only an operational issue in the aviation industry, but it is also important from the point of view of maintaining regional connections and facilitating the movement of passengers and goods.

In a situation where some of Iran's flights to neighboring countries have been restricted or stopped, simultaneous pursuit of diplomatic, legal and executive routes can be effective in removing the existing obstacles and speeding up the return process of these routes. Sending official letters to the countries in question, filing a protest in the International Civil Aviation Organization and continuing the negotiations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Aviation Organization are among the measures that have been put on the agenda to follow up on the issue, according to the announcement of the head of this organization.

The return of flights depends on the outcome of negotiations

In general, although the resumption of the Tehran-Najaf flight showed that it is possible to return some suspended routes to the country's flight network, the status of flights from Iran to Oman and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as other routes affected by the restrictions, still needs to be followed up. In the meantime, the Civil Aviation Organization has announced the continuation of consultations, legal follow-up of restrictions and efforts to raise the issue at the upcoming ICAO meeting, and has expressed hope for the resumption of flights in the not-too-distant future.

However, the final determination of these routes depends on the outcome of negotiations and the removal of existing obstacles. Therefore, it is expected that the government and the responsible institutions, using diplomatic capacities and negotiations, will seriously pursue the issue of restrictions imposed on Iranian flights, so that the stopped routes, especially in neighboring countries, return to the country's flight network in the shortest possible time, and the ground for the continuation of Iran's air communications with the region is provided.