Treasury's release of 8 September, “Treasury Grounds Iranian Airlines with Sweeping Sanctions Action”, lists 36 targets: 27 Iranian airlines and the third-country companies and one executive Treasury says support them. Kazakhstan's entry is one sentence: “Kazakhstan-based Tour Invest LLC has served as a general sales agent for Mahan Air.” The other enablers Treasury names sit in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia; the Malaysian one is also a Mahan agent.
Mahan Air has been under US counter-terrorism sanctions since 2011; Treasury says it moves personnel, weapons and equipment for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Vlast.kz, which reported the designation on Wednesday, gives the Kazakh company as Tour Invest LLP and cites the standard formula, material support, goods or services to Mahan Air or in its support. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed the action as a promise kept: “Under Operation Economic Outcast, we promised severe consequences for those providing financial lifelines to the Iranian regime.”
Neither Vlast nor any other Kazakh outlet the desk read carried a comment from the company or from the government by Thursday evening, and Kazakhstan's foreign ministry has said nothing the desk found. What Tour Invest sold, on which routes and for how long, the release does not say.
Georgia answered within 2 days. Its Civil Aviation Agency said on Thursday that the expanded list includes airlines that today operate air services between Georgia and Iran, and that the Georgian side, as in other cases, will act in full compliance with the international sanctions regime. Novosti Gruzii names the 6: Qeshm Air, Sepehran, Varesh, Iran Aseman, Fly Kish and AVA. The agency did not say when the flights stop.
It added that Georgia has long used the US Treasury's list of designated persons as an additional check on the airlines it admits. The agency attributes the new list to the State Department; the designations are the Treasury's.
Tehran answered first. Abuzar Shiroudi, who heads Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, told the press on Wednesday night that sanctions may raise operating costs but cannot stop the activity, and that flights will continue on domestic capacity, Trend reported.
The agency did not say when the flights stop.
The two capitals now sit on opposite ends of one list. Tbilisi has 6 Iranian carriers on its schedules and has said it will comply; Astana has a sales agent on the list and has said nothing. Which position costs more will show in the next Treasury release and on the departure boards in Tbilisi.