Tehran, 15 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) – Iranian airlines are dropping connections to destinations in the European Union in response to new sanctions on the country, the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) reported on Tuesday.

"No Iranian plane will fly to Europe any more," following the punitive measures, said the general secretary of the association of Iranian airlines, Maqsoud Assadi Samani, according to the report.

On Monday, the EU imposed sanctions on Iran targeting its delivery of ballistic missiles and drones to Russia. These punitive measures are aimed in particular at state-owned Iran Air, which will no longer be permitted to sell its tickets in Europe.

Iran Air was one of the few airlines with direct connections from Europe to Iran.

According to ILNA, the new sanctions also prevent the refuelling of Iran Air planes. The report said there had recently been strong demand for flights to EU destinations.

The sanctions will not result in Iran being cut off from the EU. Many business travellers are already flying via Istanbul and Dubai, and Iran Air will continue to fly to Turkish destinations.