Air France and British Airways suspend flights to Iran

The French airline Air France will suspend flights to Tehran on September 18, the company's management announced today.

The unprofitability associated with US sanctions on Iran was cited as the reason.

The company, which previously transferred flights to Tehran to its low-cost subsidiary, stated that as of August 4, the number of flights was reduced from three to one per week and that "due to commercial unprofitability, the connection with Tehran will be terminated on September 18."

British Airways also said it would suspend direct flights to the Iranian capital, as it said the route was "not currently commercially viable".

That decision was announced after US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal, which includes Russia, China, Germany, France and Great Britain.

British Airways says the last flight to Tehran is scheduled for September 22, with a return flight on September 23.

The airline resumed direct flights to Tehran in September 2016, after suspending flights in October 2012 due to deteriorating relations between the UK and Iran.

Great Britain is among the European countries that have announced that they will protect companies that continue to do business in Iran, however, after Trump's decision in May, many withdrawals followed, the AP agency stated.