The United States Treasury Department lifted counterterrorism sanctions on two airplanes and three airlines linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to data published on a Wednesday.
Sanctions relief arrived on a Wednesday through updates posted directly to the website of the Treasury Department, as reported by Reuters. The agency removed two airplanes and three distinct corporate entities from counterterrorism blacklist registers. Those platforms and carriers had originally faced penalties due to their operational ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
While the listings themselves were altered online, initial reporting pointed out that the adjustments surfaced amid wider diplomatic undercurrents. Estimates suggested the move could serve as part of preparations for a broader accord encompassing the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and more comprehensive understandings between the United States and Iran, while the American administration maintained that the economic fallout of the decision would remain limited.
Some assessments indicated that the step might function as an indirect method for the administration to manage Iranian demands regarding frozen funds, offering Tehran economic breathing room through targeted sanctions relief without officially unfreezing those assets.
Treasury Department Data Reveals Sanctions Lifted on Airlines and Airplanes
Among the entities granted relief is Fly Baghdad. Washington had originally targeted the Iraqi carrier in January 2024, accusing the business of providing support to the Qods Force—an arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—alongside Tehran’s allies in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
An administrative review ultimately triggered the reversal for the Iraqi carrier. According to the website of the Treasury Department, the unfreezing extended to two aircraft from the company’s fleet. A Treasury Department official speaking anonymously to Agence France-Presse explained that the decision to delist Fly Baghdad followed an internal assessment showing substantive changes in the company’s operations, rendering its continued presence on the sanctions list unjustified.
Even with the company and two of its assigned aircraft cleared from the blacklist, the relief remains partial. Penalties stay firmly in place against the carrier’s owner, Bashir Abd al-Kazim Alwan al-Shubani.
Operational Review Clears Fly Baghdad Airlines Fleet Segments
The partial rollbacks occurred alongside separate enforcement actions targeting other aviation links inside Iran’s sphere of influence. Days prior to the unfreezing of the airline assets, authorities moved against supply chains tied to Mahan Air, a carrier long accused by the United States of transporting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps elements, alongside weapons and drones.
In a formal statement issued on July 30, 2026, the Treasury Department announced it had placed six new entities and individuals in Iran, China, India, and Russia on its punitive lists. Officials accused those regional sales agents and logistical support networks of operating on behalf of Mahan Air, which is already subjected to both American and European sanctions.
Simultaneous Blacklists Target Mahan Air Global Networks
Observers suggested the measures could form part of efforts to establish understandings encompassing the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and wider diplomatic engagement.
Administration officials pushed back against those interpretations, asserting that the removal of sanctions stems from arrangements tied to existing agreements and carries limited economic impact on Iran. Officials noted that the decision will not lead to a fundamental transformation of the economic pressures directed at Tehran.
is not indicative of any shift in US policy toward the Government of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qods Force, any designated terrorist organisation, or any person who supports or acts on behalf of any of these. Treasury Department official, via Agence France-Presse
Washington Asserts No Broad Shift in Iran Strategy
