Photo: Alamy
Iran issued a notice to airmen late Wednesday, temporarily closing its airspace to most flights, amid escalating regional tensions tied to nationwide protests and heightened security alerts from the United States and its allies.
The notice to airmen restricted all flights except approved international traffic and was scheduled to remain in effect for slightly more than two hours. Flight tracking data showed several aircraft were denied entry or diverted around Iran during the closure, according to FlightRadar24.
Minutes after the notice was issued, U.S. embassies in Jerusalem, Qatar and Kuwait released security alerts urging increased caution. The advisories limited nonessential travel to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and temporarily halted movement into Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Patriot in Kuwait.
A U.S. official told Reuters that the Department of War was repositioning personnel amid rising tensions. A Western military official described the situation as volatile.
“All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy,” the official said.
Hours before the airspace alert, President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that Iranian authorities had halted the killing of protesters.
“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it’s stopped and stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution,” President Trump said. “So, I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about.”
Asked whether military action was under consideration, Trump said, “We’re going to watch and see what the process is. We were given a very good, very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”
Iran’s leadership has faced mounting international scrutiny as protests over economic hardship and political repression continue. Some opposition groups claim more than 3,000 people have been killed during the unrest, though those figures could not be independently verified.
Trump said Tuesday he canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the killings stopped.