Iran's threat to retaliate against regional airports is a justified response to the flight ban

Steps by armed forces or governments to reduce military tensions and the risk of wider conflict, including troop pullbacks, pauses in strikes, and communication channels between adversaries.

The UAE suspended Iranian airline services indefinitely, while operations to several other regional destinations were reportedly halted following the U.S. secondary-sanctions deadline. Iranian airlines continued serving some international routes, making this a substantial regional restriction rather than a complete global grounding.

Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei threatened to prevent airports in neighbouring countries from functioning if they stopped serving Iranian aircraft under U.S. sanctions pressure. He did not explain how Iran would implement the threat, and no corresponding attack had been confirmed.