US accused of striking Mahan Air commercial aircraft on an aid mission
March 31, 2026
Iranian officials have accused the United States of striking a commercial aircraft scheduled for a humanitarian aid mission, a claim that, if verified, would mark a significant escalation in the targeting of civilian aviation assets.
According to India’s Press Trust of India (PTI), a US airstrike at Mashhad Airport damaged a Mahan Air aircraft reportedly due to fly to New Delhi to collect medical supplies. US officials have not confirmed the incident, and details remain unclear.
However, the allegation comes amid a broader campaign by Israel Defense Forces to degrade Iran’s fleet of dual-use commercial aircraft, many of which Western governments say have been used to transport weapons.
Unverified reports of Mahan Air Boeing 777 and Airbus A340 damage at Mashhad
On March 29, OSINT analyst Babak Taghvaee reported unverified claims from Israeli sources that a Mahan Air Boeing 777-200ER may have been destroyed at Mashhad. The same reports suggested an Airbus A340-600 could also have been severely damaged.
None of these claims have been independently confirmed, and it remains uncertain whether they refer to the same aircraft cited in the PTI report.
BREAKING: Unconfirmed reports from Israeli sources claim that the Israeli Air Force targeted a Boeing 777-212ER passenger aircraft of Iran’s largest airline, Mahan Air, at Mashhad International Airport in northeast Iran today.
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) March 29, 2026
They also claim that an Airbus A340-642 of the… pic.twitter.com/TWNNmconyl
The lack of clarity reflects the broader challenge of reporting in an increasingly opaque operating environment, where official confirmation is limited and open-source intelligence often fills the gap.
Israel targets Iranian commercial aircraft linked to military logistics
While the reported US strike remains unverified, it comes amid a broader and more substantiated campaign by Israel Defense Forces targeting Iran’s fleet of commercial aircraft.
Israel has previously said it struck around 16 aircraft at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, claiming they had been used to transport weapons to Hezbollah. Satellite imagery following those strikes appeared to show multiple destroyed airframes, including what is believed to have been a rare KC-747 tanker.
Western governments, including the US, have long accused Mahan Air of links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is designated a terrorist organisation by Washington. Iranian commercial aircraft have been repeatedly accused of operating in a dual-use role, supporting both civilian transport and military logistics.
This creates a blurred boundary in which aircraft that appear civilian may be treated as legitimate military targets.
Sanctions and an ageing fleet leave Iran’s commercial aviation vulnerable
Iran’s commercial aviation sector has been under heavy sanctions for years, forcing airlines to acquire and maintain aircraft through complex supply chains and third-party intermediaries.
According to fleet data, Mahan Air operates a mix of Airbus A340s, Boeing 747s and 777s, alongside older narrowbody and regional aircraft. Many of these aircraft are already difficult to maintain due to restricted access to parts and support.
Recent strikes appear to be accelerating the degradation of that fleet. If sustained, they could significantly reduce Iran’s ability to operate long-haul commercial aircraft.
US seizures of Mahan Air-linked aircraft highlight enforcement precedent
While it remains unclear whether the US has directly targeted Iranian commercial aircraft in this conflict, there is precedent for enforcement action against sanctioned airframes.
In 2024, the US Department of Justice seized a Boeing 747 previously operated by Mahan Air and later used by Venezuela, citing sanctions violations linked to the IRGC. The aircraft was flown to the United States following a forfeiture order.
The US Department of Justice stated, “The Department of Justice today completed enforcement of a final order for forfeiture of a U.S.-manufactured Boeing 747 cargo plane, previously owned by Mahan Air, a sanctioned Iranian airline affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).”
Such actions underline Washington’s long-standing position that certain aircraft, though nominally civilian, may be treated as illicit assets if linked to sanctioned entities.
Civilian aircraft in conflict: Growing risks in modern air warfare
If confirmed, the reported strike on an aircraft preparing for a humanitarian mission would represent a significant escalation, raising serious questions about the protection of civilian aviation in conflict zones.
Even if the claim proves inaccurate, the broader trend is clear. Commercial aircraft are increasingly being drawn into the conflict, not as collateral damage, but as deliberate targets within a contested grey zone between civilian and military use.
That shift carries profound implications, not only for Iran’s aviation sector, but for how civilian air transport is treated in modern warfare.
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
