Iran briefly closes airspace as U.S. tensions rise, flights rerouted across region

Iran temporarily closed its airspace late Wednesday to most incoming and outgoing flights amid escalating tensions with the U.S., according to a notice posted by the Federal Aviation Administration. The restriction was scheduled to be in place from 10:15 p.m. UTC Wednesday to 12:30 a.m. UTC Thursday, the notice said. It was later extended from 1:14 a.m. to 3:30 a.m UTC. Live data provided by flight tracker FlightRadar showed aircraft skirting around Iranian airspace, as of 8:30 a.m. ET. The order exempted international flights to and from Tehran, provided they received prior approval from Iran's civil aviation authority. The airspace closure comes as tensions escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened intervention 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, Trump said he has been assured that the killings of protestors in Iran had stopped and that he would "watch it and see" regarding potential U.S. military action. The U.S. has withdrawn some personnel from American military bases in the Middle East amid Iranian threats to strike those locations if Washington launches an attack. Several airlines have canceled or rerouted flights to Tehran in recent days. India's largest airline, IndiGo, said Thursday that some of its international flights would be impacted by Iran's airspace closure. Earlier this week, Germany warned its airlines against entering Iranian airspace. The Lufthansa Group said Wednesday that it would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice, with some flights canceled. The U.S. has prohibited all American commercial flights from overflying Iran. Airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines have also canceled multiple flights to Iran over the past week.

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