Iran Reopens Airspace After Nearly 5 Hours Closure Amid Tensions With US

The airspace shutdown followed warnings from Washington and escalating unrest, forcing airlines to reroute flights amid fears of possible military escalation.

A still from screen recordings of Flightradar24 website, taken at 4:30 a.m., local time on Jan. 15, 2026, shows empty airspace over Iran. flightradar24.com via Reuters/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

Iran reopened its airspace after nearly five hours of closure, according to FlightRadar24, which reported the notice was lifted shortly before 10 p.m. EST on Jan. 14—6:30 a.m. on Jan. 15 local time.

The airspace closure, which was prompted by concerns over possible military action between the United States and Iran, forced airlines cancel, reroute, or delay flights.

The closure came as nationwide protests against the Iranian regime continue.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization issued two Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) that banned all flights through the Tehran Flight Information Region. The restrictions exempted international civil arrivals and departures that had obtained prior permission from Iranian authorities.

“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” SafeAirspace, which provides information on conflict areas and air travel, said midway through the closure.

“The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defense, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.”

The closure is the latest in a series of short-term airspace restrictions implemented since early January, aligning with escalating unrest and international tensions.

Aviation tracking services and open-source intelligence reports indicate that these closures are part of broader defensive preparations, including the activation of air defenses across western, southern, eastern, and northern fronts. Regions such as Tabriz, Hamadan, Kermanshah, and Ahvaz have been the subjects of specific NOTAMs designating no-fly zones over military bases, missile sites, and oil facilities.

Open-source monitors described the measures as transforming Iranian airspace into a “war zone,” with defenses on high alert to counter potential aerial incursions.

The airspace actions come amid mass protests that have gripped Iran since late December 2025, spreading to at least 22 of the country’s 31 provinces.

The protests, fueled by economic collapse—including a banking system failure and currency devaluation—have led to a harsh response by security forces. The regime has imposed an internet blackout and phone outages to squash coordination among protestors.

President Donald Trump on Jan. 14 relayed information that planned executions of protesters in Iran are expected to be canceled.

“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping,” Trump said at a press conference. “It’s stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution.”

The U.S.-based HRANA rights group said it had so far verified the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 regime-affiliated individuals. HRANA reported 18,137 arrests so far.

After days of flirting with military intervention to assist the people of Iran against their government, Trump suggested that any U.S. action could be terminated if the regime keeps its promise.

He was asked by a reporter whether the update means that the United States is taking military action “off the table.”

Trump said that the United States would “watch and see what the process is.”

Joseph Lord, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.