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Trump must close this Turkish loophole that allows Iran to skirt sanctions

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Washington has done well targeting Tehran’s shipping, banking and financial networks. The regime is increasingly being pushed onto costlier land routes.

But some countries are leaving one major artery relatively open to Iran: the sky. Turkey is among the worst offenders; Washington needs to rein it in.

After Iran reopened its airspace in April, commercial flights returned.

In May, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would move to deny Iran’s main carriers’ landing rights. Yet they kept flying internationally.

So President Donald Trump went further: In September, the Treasury Department sanctioned all active Iranian airlines, dramatically widening Washington’s economic campaign against Iran’s aviation sector.

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Iranian airlines give Tehran access to foreign markets and the ability to transport personnel and weapons across borders, including for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

That’s why closing Iran’s aviation routes matters and pressuring countries to cut off flights is essential.

In much of the Middle East, that pressure is working: Iraq, Oman and the United Arab Emirates suspended Iranian flights.

Yes, Ankara has taken some steps. Mahan Air, a US-sanctioned Iranian carrier, was........

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