Iran's ambassador to Georgia, Ali Mojani, said Tehran reserved its own right to choose after Tbilisi announced it would comply with US sanctions on Iranian airlines, Iranian media reported on September 14.

Tbilisi’s compliance ends one of the few remaining direct air links between Iran and Europe's edge, on a route carrying about 10 round trips a week to the capital and Batumi, and puts at risk the Iranian leisure traffic that has made Georgia a visa-free short-haul destination for Iranian travellers.

It also arrives while Tbilisi is under scrutiny in Washington over its dealings with Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, including the handling of Russian crude at the Kulevi terminal, giving the government reason to demonstrate compliance on a measure that costs it comparatively little.

Mojani said Iran respected Georgia's decision as the choice of an independent country, while noting that respecting the choices of others does not mean ignoring one's own, and that Iranian travellers weigh security, cost, convenience and mutual respect when selecting destinations.

He said Iranian tour operators had already approached the embassy seeking clarity on the future of travel to Georgia. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the government's adherence to international sanctions.

Georgia's Civil Aviation Agency said it would act in full compliance with the sanctions regime, adding that it had used US sanctions lists for years as a monitoring tool and had previously restricted the operations of several airlines under the same mechanism. It did not set a date for the measures to take effect, and its press office declined to comment when asked.

The US Treasury issued the designations on September 8 under what it calls Operation Economic Outcast, covering 27 Iranian carriers and nine service providers, citing support for an aviation sector used to move weapons, personnel and illicit cargo. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned companies dealing with the sanctioned airlines that they risked losing access to the global financial system.

Sanctioned carriers kept flying in the days after the designations, with a Sepehran Airlines service from Tehran landing at Tbilisi on September 9 and further flights by Qeshm Air and Varesh scheduled the same day. Six Iranian airlines operate to Tbilisi and Batumi.

Iranian arrivals to Georgia had already fallen to about 29,300 in the first half of 2026, down 49% year on year, with revenue from Iranian visitors down 65% to $19.9mn.