Flights from UAE, Qatar and Turkey canceled to Iran as protests grow
Several airlines canceled their flights to Iranian cities as the protests continue to grow despite a communication blackout.
Multiple flights from across the region to Iranian cities were canceled Friday as mass protests in Iran grew for the 14th day in a row despite a nationwide communication blackout and a violent crackdown by authorities.
What happened: At least 17 flydubai flights to Iranian cities including Tehran, Shiraz, Bandar Abbas and Mashhad were canceled, the Dubai Airports website showed.
A spokesperson for the Dubai-based airline confirmed the cancellations in a statement provided to Al-Monitor.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and revise our flight schedule accordingly,” the statement read, adding that the airline was in “direct contact” with those affected by the disruptions. It did not provide a reason for the cancellations.
A flight operated by Emirates, the Middle East's biggest airline, to Tehran was also canceled, according to the Dubai Airports website.
Turkey’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, announced that 17 flights that were scheduled for Friday and Saturday to the Iranian cities of Tehran, Tabriz and Mashhad were suspended due to the developments in the country.
Turkish low-cost air carrier AJet canceled six flights Friday and Saturday to Iran’s capital Tehran.
Flights for Friday by Qatar Airways and Oman Air from Doha’s Hamad International Airport to several Iranian cities were canceled, according to the airport’s website.
Background: The travel disruptions come amid a massive wave of protests initially sparked by the collapse of the Iranian currency on Dec. 28. Since then, the protests have spread to dozens of cities across the country, demanding regime change.
Iranian security forces opened fire on Baluch protesters in the Sunni-majority city of Zahedan in southeastern Iran on Friday, wounding several people, according to the Baluch rights website Haalvsh. pic.twitter.com/HD8EWW8xhA
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 9, 2026
The Iranian government has met the demonstrations with a violent crackdown. At least 42 people, including two members of Iran's security forces, have been killed since the protests began and over 2,000 protesters have been arrested, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
On Thursday, authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown while disruptions in phone lines were also reported, widely attributed to the government’s efforts to block communications and silence the protesters. It appears that the communication blackout has affected accessibility to Iranian state media in the region, as this Al-Monitor reporter has been unable to access Iranian state media news sites including IRNA, Mehr and Tasnim.
A nationwide internet shutdown is underway in Iran as the Islamic Republic intensifies its violent crackdown on civilians.#IranProtests #InternetShutdown#womenlifefreedom pic.twitter.com/rpIlRvqY43
— Arez (@arez198arez) January 9, 2026
Despite the blackout, tens of thousands were reported to have taken to the streets across Iran on Thursday night, following a call by exiled prince and son of the last shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the largest day of unrest since the protests began.
Videos circulating online showed scores of protesters setting fire to buildings across Iran, including that of the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, a government mouthpiece in Isfahan. Others were seen chanting “death to Khamenei” and “freedom, freedom” in Tehran.
BBC Persian verifies that one of Iranian state broadcaster IRIB buildings in Isfahan has been set on fire by the protestors, which is located on Boostan Saadi Boulevard. pic.twitter.com/CS77MwU20d
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 8, 2026
Writing on X on Friday, Pahlavi called on Iranians to join another massive protest at 8 p.m. local time “so that the regime's power of repression will be even less.”
Iranian officials have accused foreign countries including the United States and Israel of fueling the protests.
Know more: In a public address on Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pointed to US President Donald Trump, saying that he and other leaders would eventually be brought down.
“Trump should know that world tyrants such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza were brought down at the peak of their arrogance. He too will be brought down,” he said.
Khamenei stressed that Iran's government will not surrender. “Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, and it will not back down in the face of saboteurs,” he vowed.
Trump has backed the protests, threatening to take military action against Iran should authorities continue to kill demonstrators. Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, the US president said, “We’re ready to do it. If they do that, we’re going to hit them hard. … The enthusiasm to overturn that regime is incredible.”
