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Iran Airlines Cancel Flights as US Sanctions Hit

Pedestrians walk past an office of Iranian airline Mahan Air in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Pedestrians walk past an office of Iranian airline Mahan Air in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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Iran Airlines Cancel Flights as US Sanctions Hit

Pedestrians walk past an office of Iranian airline Mahan Air in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Pedestrians walk past an office of Iranian airline Mahan Air in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Iranian airlines were forced to cancel some international flights on Wednesday after the US tightened sanctions on Iran's aviation industry in a new effort to cripple its economy.

A travel agent in Tehran told AFP that flights to Baghdad, Muscat, Qatar, Georgia and Azerbaijan had all been suspended, but routes to multiple other destinations remained available, including China.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the new measures on Monday as part of an earlier threat to impose "economic D-Day" on Iran, an attempt to force it into submission following their nearly seven-month war.

But Iran's aviation sector has already been a target of sanctions for years, and it remains unclear what the full impact will be and whether other countries will comply.

Even after the new sanctions took effect on Wednesday, a flight from Tehran operated by Mahan Air, one of Iran's biggest carriers, landed in Guangzhou in China, according to tracking data from FlightRadar24.

China on Tuesday said it opposes the US sanctions and called them illegal. A flight to Shanghai was also due to depart on Wednesday, according to Tehran's international airport.

Some flights to Istanbul were also scheduled, though others had been cancelled, the travel agent in Tehran told AFP.

"The situation is unstable and we are no longer selling tickets for the time being for fear of cancellations," the the agent said, requesting anonymity.

A Mahan flight from Kabul was also expected to arrive in Tehran around midday. According to the website for Tehran's international airport, other connections to Türkiye and Armenia also remained possible using smaller Iranian airlines, including Varesh.

Flights to Najaf in Iraq and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates were also scheduled.

Bessent on Monday vowed to "shut down" Iranian carriers and punish anyone doing business with them.

"If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets or you will be knocked out of the dollar system," he warned other countries.

The restrictions will further complicate the ability of Iranians to travel abroad or return to their country.

Iranian media also reported cancellations, with the Tasnim news agency on Tuesday citing a civil aviation spokesman as saying that Baghdad and Muscat airports "will no longer accept" Iranian flights.

"Other international flights, including Istanbul, will operate as scheduled and as usual, and at present there are no problems with these flights," Tasnim said.

According to Tasnim, Iran's aviation authorities are in talks to reroute Baghdad flights to Najaf, a major destination for Iranian pilgrims.

In Iraq, while the government has not publicly announced plans to enforce the ban, several sources including a senior government official told AFP that Baghdad would comply with the US measures.

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World

Israeli Opposition Bloc Gathers to See How to Oust Netanyahu

Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, speaks following the exit poll at his party headquarters, on the evening of Israel's national election, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 28, 2026. (Reuters)
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, speaks following the exit poll at his party headquarters, on the evening of Israel's national election, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 28, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israeli Opposition Bloc Gathers to See How to Oust Netanyahu

Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, speaks following the exit poll at his party headquarters, on the evening of Israel's national election, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 28, 2026. (Reuters)
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, speaks following the exit poll at his party headquarters, on the evening of Israel's national election, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 28, 2026. (Reuters)

The Israeli opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot gathered on Tuesday for the first time since elections as they strategize how to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with divisions on whether to ally with Arab lawmakers.

Opposition party heads gathered in Herzliya, the tech industry hub north of Tel Aviv where former military chief Eisenkot lives, a week after the election produced an inconclusive result.

Yair Lapid, a centrist former prime minister who headed the opposition in the outgoing parliament, said as he entered that Netanyahu was backing an "extreme and dangerous attempt to invalidate the elections".

"What we need to do now is go and form a government, because the conduct of recent days is just a reminder that we must remove Netanyahu and his people from the Prime Minister's Office," Lapid told reporters.

"They have already caused enough damage to the State of Israel and to the people of Israel," he said.

Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly alleged major fraud or malfeasance by Arab-majority parties which made historic gains last week, winning 19 seats in the 120-member parliament on the back of anger over the hard-right government's rhetoric towards Arab citizens of Israel.

No side won a majority. Eisenkot's diverse opposition bloc won 48 seats while Netanyahu's camp secured 53, of which 27 are from his Likud party.

The Arab parties could bring Eisenkot to a majority but the opposition is divided on whether to ally with them, and Arab politicians did not join the talks in Herzliya.

Despite their diverging views on various issues, including the role of Arab lawmakers, all the party leaders in Eisenkot's bloc have said they would back him to form the next government.

Public opinion polls conducted before the election showed that Jewish Israeli opposition supporters are divided over including Arab parties in government while right-wing Israelis are adamantly opposed.

- 'Political reality' -

Yousef Jabareen, the head of the largest Arab-majority party in the next parliament, told AFP that the opposition needed to accept "political reality" and team up to remove Netanyahu.

Arab-Israelis are descendants of Palestinians who remained after Israel's creation in 1948 and account for around 20 percent of the population today.

On the campaign trail, most of the main Jewish opposition parties rejected partnering with the Arab-majority lists citing a lack of common values, particularly around security and national identity.

The notable exception was Yair Golan, head of the left-wing party The Democrats, who said it was racist to exclude working with the Arab minority.

Netanyahu spent the campaign painting Arab parties as untrustworthy and stoking fears of a Palestinian state.

Avigdor Liberman, a right-wing member of Eisenkot's bloc who heads the Yisrael Beiteinu party, on Tuesday stressed that another election must be avoided but said that the Arab lists should not be included in the government.

"Given the political situation that has emerged, there is enough room to maneuver, and with proper navigation it is possible to quickly establish a functioning and stable government without Raam and the Joint List," he wrote on X, referring to the two Arab-majority lists.

On Monday, Netanyahu called for a "broad national government" without the Arab parties and said that as his Likud was the largest single party, he should lead the next coalition.

No opposition leader has voiced any openness to a unity government with Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, pointing to his divisiveness, the corruption charges against him and his failure to prevent the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

"We seek to establish a broad government with our partners and with any party that wishes to join and does not support terrorism," Netanyahu said in a Telegram post.

He ruled out a coalition with Arab-majority lists, alleging that the parties "support terrorism and deny the existence of the Jewish state".

Leaders of Arab-Israeli parties have unanimously condemned the October 7 attack by Hamas without describing the Palestinian movement as a terror group.

Although the leader of the Raam party has recognized Israel as a "Jewish state", other leaders have rejected that definition.

World

Qatar Says Remains ‘Hopeful’ of a US-Iran Deal

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 3, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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Qatar Says Remains ‘Hopeful’ of a US-Iran Deal

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 3, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Qatar said on Tuesday it remained hopeful that an interim deal could be reached between the United States and Iran as both sides review proposals put forward by mediators including Doha.

In recent days, diplomatic efforts have been underway to prevent renewed fighting after the United States threatened major new strikes -- though US President Donald Trump signaled diplomatic progress with Iran.

Early on Tuesday, US media reported that Washington had launched limited strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian media reported five explosions in quick succession.

"Both parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are facilitating the real-time exchange of proposals between them," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters.

Both sides "are currently reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented," he added.

"We remain hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal to take place," he said, adding Doha was working "towards an interim deal".

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that "very intensive" talks were underway with the United States via mediators.

That same day Qatari negotiators returned to Doha after a meeting in Tehran that lasted more than three hours, Al Ansari said.

He warned that any escalation could complicate the talks.

The US and Israel increased their threats towards Iran in the run-up to the midterms and last week's general elections in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to secure a majority.

World

Russian Defense Minister Hails ‘Unprecedented’ Beijing Ties on China Visit

A Russian and Chinese national flag flutter near Tiananmen Gate, in Beijing, China, May 16, 2024. (AP)
A Russian and Chinese national flag flutter near Tiananmen Gate, in Beijing, China, May 16, 2024. (AP)
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Russian Defense Minister Hails ‘Unprecedented’ Beijing Ties on China Visit

A Russian and Chinese national flag flutter near Tiananmen Gate, in Beijing, China, May 16, 2024. (AP)
A Russian and Chinese national flag flutter near Tiananmen Gate, in Beijing, China, May 16, 2024. (AP)

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said Moscow's strategic partnership with Beijing has reached "an unprecedentedly high level" as he visited China for talks, his ministry said Tuesday.

Russia has sought closer ties with China since its assault on Ukraine launched in 2022 that Beijing, insisting it is a neutral party, has never denounced, calling for peace talks instead.

The Chinese and Russian militaries have held regular joint exercises in recent years, a partnership that Western and some other governments view with suspicion as Moscow's war on Ukraine grinds on.

Belousov, during his China visit, said that "the strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China has reached an unprecedentedly high level," according to a statement by his ministry.

He also said the partnership was "grounded in the personal contacts" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping.

In China, Belousov met with Zhang Shengmin, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the body headed by Xi that directs the armed forces.

The meeting comes before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on November 18-19.

Putin has said he intends to be at the summit, which US President Donald Trump has also said he will try to attend.

The Kremlin said in September that Putin and Trump had discussed the idea of holding a trilateral meeting with Xi at the summit.