Iran Threatens Neighboring Countries: “Don’t Get Involved in the American Adventure” After FAA Warning

Iran has threatened neighboring countries with retaliation if they enforce new U.S. sanctions against Iranian airlines, after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned it would take action against any country that allows Iranian aircraft to land.

“I call on all our neighboring countries not to get involved in the United States’ adventure. This adventure will also have a cost for them, and we will consider them complicit with the United States,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday.

The warning came after Iranian carriers canceled a series of international flights, as the U.S. threatened to cut off access to foreign airports for those hosting Iranian aircraft.

The new escalation comes as part of the U.S. campaign to close the skies to Iran: Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan have already restricted or suspended Iranian flights, while the United Arab Emirates banned the issuance of new permits on Thursday.

Analysts raise the question of whether Tehran can realistically enforce its threats against neighboring countries — and what impact they will have on the region’s commercial flights, which are already facing massive cancellations and reroutings.

Source: Al Jazeera