Iran's Security Council Denies Military Retaliation Plan Over Flight Restrictions

The secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said on Saturday that claims Iran will retaliate militarily against recent restrictions on its flights are untrue, citing false interpretations and quotes of air transport remarks by the council's secretary, Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei. It said Iran's negotiations with the countries concerned to lift some of the restrictions, which Tehran calls illegal, are being seriously pursued. The secretariat added that several non-military reciprocal options exist and would be applied to some airports if necessary, though it hoped matters would not reach that point. On September 8, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines, saying the regime uses its aviation sector to move weapons, personnel and illicit cargo.