Iranian flights to Gulf destinations were disrupted after a US deadline for companies worldwide to stop doing business with Iranian airlines took effect. Reuters reported that no Iran arrivals or departures were visible on Dubai or Abu Dhabi airport websites on Thursday, while at least two Iranian airlines showed UAE flights as cancelled.
Iran's ISNA news agency also said flights to the UAE had been halted. UAE aviation authorities did not immediately comment to Reuters. Tehran airport listings still showed flights to several destinations including Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Iraq, Tajikistan and Turkey.
The US Treasury had set September 23 as the compliance deadline as Washington expands financial pressure on Iran. Tehran had warned neighbouring countries against cooperating with restrictions on Iranian flights.
Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said Saudi Arabia intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis after emergency alerts were issued for areas including Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu. The Houthis did not immediately respond to that specific Saudi claim.