Closed Under the Pretext of "Aerial Operations"
The Iranian government has abruptly closed its airspace. This measure, taken amid a harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters despite warnings of U.S. military intervention, has heightened tensions.
According to foreign media reports such as Reuters on January 15 (local time), Iran announced through an international aviation notice that it would close its airspace from 1:45 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. local time (7:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Korean time) due to "aerial operations."
Through an additional notice, Iran later announced that the airspace closure would be extended by 3 hours and 30 minutes, until 7:30 a.m. local time (1:00 p.m. Korean time). The Iranian government explained that certain international flights that had received prior approval from the country's aviation authorities would still be allowed to enter and depart Iran.
The closure of Iranian airspace came after U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of military intervention in response to the Iranian government's killing of protesters. U.S. airlines had already independently banned flights through Iranian airspace. Other countries, including Germany, are also advising their airlines to exercise caution when entering Iranian airspace.
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