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

Iran temporarily closed its airspace precocious Wednesday to astir incoming and outgoing flights amid escalating tensions with the U.S., according to a announcement posted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The regularisation was scheduled to beryllium successful spot from 10:15 p.m. UTC Wednesday to 12:30 a.m. UTC Thursday, the announcement said. It was aboriginal extended from 1:14 a.m. to 3:30 a.m UTC.

Live information provided by formation tracker FlightRadar showed craft skirting astir Iranian airspace, arsenic of 8:30 a.m. ET.

The bid exempted planetary flights to and from Tehran, provided they received anterior support from Iran's civilian aviation authority.

The airspace closure comes arsenic tensions escalated aft U.S. President Donald Trump threatened involution pursuing a deadly crackdown connected anti-government protests successful Iran.

Trump aboriginal appeared to soften his tone. Speaking astatine the White House connected Wednesday night, Trump said helium has been assured that the killings of protestors successful Iran had stopped and that helium would "watch it and see" regarding imaginable U.S. subject action.

The U.S. has withdrawn immoderate unit from American subject bases successful the Middle East amid Iranian threats to onslaught those locations if Washington launches an attack.

Several airlines person canceled oregon rerouted flights to Tehran successful caller days. India's largest airline, IndiGo, said Thursday that immoderate of its planetary flights would beryllium 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 immoderate flights canceled.

The U.S. has prohibited each American commercialized flights from overflying Iran. Airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines person besides canceled aggregate flights to Iran implicit the past week.