Trump’s Iran Crackdown Complicates Turkey’s Push for F-35 Access

At least 83 flights operated by Iranian airlines under U.S. sanctions arrived in Turkey during the five days following a key American sanctions deadline, according to flight data reviewed by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The findings are renewing questions about whether Washington will enforce its expanding pressure campaign against companies serving the carriers in the NATO member.

In a Sept. 28 report, FDD said U.S. pressure has driven Iranian airlines from several regional markets, including Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Turkey, however, remains a major opening in Washington’s effort to restrict the carriers’ international operations.

The report followed the Treasury Department’s Sept. 8 announcement of sweeping sanctions against Iran’s aviation sector. The department designated all 27 remaining active Iranian airlines under Executive Order 13902, saying the industry has been used to transport weapons, personnel and illicit cargo. Treasury also warned foreign businesses that continuing to support the carriers could expose them to sanctions.

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The flights are continuing at a particularly sensitive time for U.S.-Turkey relations. Turkey is a NATO ally, and President Donald Trump has highlighted his close ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan while suggesting that Ankara could regain access to the F-35 fighter jet program. Turkey was expelled from the program after acquiring Russia’s S-400 air-defense system, a decision that also led to U.S. sanctions in 2020.

During a July 2026 visit to Turkey, Trump said his administration would lift those sanctions and was considering approving F-35 sales to Ankara. Congressional restrictions connected to Turkey’s possession of the S-400 remain a hurdle, however. Erdoğan said on Sept. 24 that he expected Washington to take “concrete steps” toward restoring Turkey’s place in the program.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that companies providing services such as fuel and landing support to sanctioned Iranian airlines could lose access to the U.S. financial system after the Sept. 23 wind-down deadline. FDD quoted Bessent as saying that Iranian airlines would be “shut down around the world” by that date.

Yet researchers Ahmad Sharawi and Sinan Ciddi said their review of Flightradar24 records identified at least 83 flights by U.S.-sanctioned Iranian airlines that landed in Turkey from Sept. 23 through Sept. 27. The arrivals were recorded at airports in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, according to the FDD report.

The researchers found that 12 sanctioned Iranian airlines were represented in the data. Iran Airtour and Caspian Airlines each made 12 landings, while Iran Air accounted for 10. ATA Airlines and AVA Airlines each recorded nine arrivals. Eight of the 12 carriers were among the airlines Treasury newly designated on Sept. 8.

The Treasury Department told News Outlet that it has continued discussing the issue directly with senior Turkish officials and has warned Turkish companies and financial institutions about their potential exposure to sanctions.

“Following Treasury’s productive engagements with senior Turkish authorities last month, which quickly translated into tangible results — including the cancellation of Mahan Air flights and the revocation of Bank Mellat’s license — we have continued discussions regarding Türkiye’s aviation links to Iran and the sanctions exposure Turkish financial institutions and businesses face for facilitating these flights,” a Treasury spokesperson told News Outlet. The spokesperson added that the department has made those risks clear and continues to raise the matter with the Turkish government at senior levels.

The spokesperson also pointed to the administration’s broader “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign, saying it was helping cut off Iran’s remaining revenue sources and access to global markets. “Operation Economic Outcast is delivering results as Treasury and our partners continue to sever the Iranian regime’s remaining economic lifelines,” the spokesperson said. “Iran’s rial has fallen to record lows, Iran loaded no crude oil onto tankers in September, and countries across the region are taking concrete steps to restrict Iran’s access to the international financial system and commercial aviation.”

“We will continue applying pressure and holding accountable those who provide the regime with the financial and commercial lifelines it needs to sustain its terrorist activities,” the spokesperson said.

Turkey has taken some measures to reduce its aviation connections with Iran. Turkish Airlines, AJet and Pegasus removed Iranian routes from their schedules, while Mahan Air suspended service to Turkey starting Sept. 21, according to Turkish Minute, which cited airline schedules and reporting from the Financial Times and other outlets.

The United States has sanctioned Mahan Air since 2011. At the time, the Treasury Department accused the airline of providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

Other sanctioned Iranian airlines have continued to fly to Turkey. Treasury designated Caspian Airlines and Meraj Air as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in August 2014. The department said Caspian transported IRGC personnel and weapons to Syria, while Meraj carried illicit cargo, including weapons, to the Syrian government.

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Sharawi told News Outlet that the flights highlight a disconnect between Ankara’s public restrictions and its continued handling of sanctioned Iranian carriers.

“The fact that sanctioned Iranian airlines continue to land in Turkey, despite Washington’s clear effort to restrict their operations, is a testament to Ankara’s willingness to take symbolic measures while turning a blind eye to much of Iran’s broader activity,” Sharawi said.

Sharawi argued that Washington could increase pressure by targeting Turkish companies that continue providing services to sanctioned Iranian carriers.

“Ankara may think it can get away with this, but Washington has not hesitated in the past to sanction Turkish entities that support sanctioned Iranian actors,” he told News Outlet. “Continuing to target companies that provide that support would send a clear message to Ankara that facilitating Iran’s sanctioned networks will carry consequences.”

He said such measures could have a practical effect on Iran’s ability to maintain the routes.

“If the United States targets the support system that keeps these sanctioned Iranian carriers operating, private Turkish companies will have much less incentive to continue doing business with them,” Sharawi said. “If those companies begin cutting ties, it could significantly restrict Iranian airlines’ ability to operate routes to Turkey.”

The Turkey findings come as another advocacy group is raising concerns about a different potential weak point in Washington’s campaign to isolate Tehran: Iranian maritime commerce in waters near Malaysia.

United Against Nuclear Iran said Sept. 25 that its investigators traveled roughly 100 nautical miles into the South China Sea near Malaysia’s Eastern Outer Port Limits, where the group said it observed Iranian-linked tankers, cargo vessels and bulk carriers alongside Malaysian bunker vessels supplying ships with fuel. UANI described the concentration of ships as a “floating city” supporting Iran’s sanctions-evasion network. Those findings were produced by UANI and have not been independently verified for this draft.

“After seeing this floating city of ghost tankers with our own eyes, it is clear it is serving as an illicit Malaysia-backed lifeline for the Iranian regime,” UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace said in a Sept. 25 statement. He accused Malaysian entities of providing support that allows Tehran to continue generating revenue despite international efforts to economically isolate the regime.

Former Florida Gov. and UANI Chairman Jeb Bush and Wallace called on the Treasury Department to sanction entities associated with Malaysia’s Pengerang petroleum complex as well as Malaysian entities or officials they allege are facilitating the trade. Their call for sanctions is an advocacy position and does not establish that the Malaysian entities have violated U.S. law.

News Outlet has learned that Treasury has mapped Iranian oil-smuggling networks, facilitators and financial channels, including deceptive shipping activity off the coast of Malaysia, and that senior Treasury officials continue to raise the issue with Malaysian and other foreign government counterparts.

Taken together, the findings from FDD and UANI highlight what the organizations describe as continuing enforcement challenges as Washington attempts to cut Iran off from international aviation, shipping and financial networks. Treasury has continued expanding that campaign: on Sept. 29, it announced another round of sanctions targeting individuals and companies it said had procured weapons and components for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.

News Outlet reached out to the Turkish and Malaysian embassies for comment but did not receive a response.