Iranians block a road and gather during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran, January 8, 2026.
Kamran | AFP | Getty Images
Iran temporarily closed its airspace to most aircraft arrivals and departures late Wednesday in response to escalating tensions with the United States, according to a notice posted by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The restrictions will be in place from 10:15 p.m. UTC Wednesday until 12:30 a.m. UTC Thursday, according to the notice. It was later extended from 1:14 a.m. UTC to 3:30 a.m. UTC.
Live data provided by flight tracking device FlightRadar showed the aircraft making a detour around Iranian airspace as of 8:30 a.m. ET.
The order exempted international flights to and from Tehran, subject to prior approval from Iran’s civil aviation authority.
The airspace closure comes amid heightened tensions after US President Donald Trump threatened to intervene following a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran.
Trump later appeared to soften his tone. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday night, President Trump said he was confident the killing of protesters in Iran had stopped and that he would “wait and see” about possible U.S. military action.
The United States has withdrawn some personnel from U.S. military bases in the Middle East as Iran threatens to attack U.S. military bases in the region if Washington launches an attack.
In recent days, multiple airlines have canceled or rerouted flights to Tehran. India’s largest airline Indigo on Thursday announced that some of its international flights will be affected by the closure of Iranian airspace.
Earlier this week, Germany warned its airlines not to enter Iranian airspace. of Lufthansa Group On Wednesday, it said it would bypass the airspace of Iran and Iraq and some flights would be canceled until further notice.
The US has banned all US commercial aircraft from flying over Iran. Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines have also canceled multiple flights to Iran over the past week.
