OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
4:10 PM – Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Iran has issued an abrupt Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), effectively closing its airspace to most commercial traffic. This move comes amid weeks of escalating internal unrest and mounting threats against the United States.
On Wednesday evening, flight-tracking websites showed airspace over Iran and Iraq clearing out prior to the issuance of the NOTAM.
The only flights permitted are international flights to and from Iran that have received approval from Tehran.
The warning is valid for just over two hours.
“All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy,” a Western military official told Reuters.
Before the NOTAM was announced, President Donald Trump indicated at a press conference that he was satisfied the Iranian regime was not carrying out executions of anti-government protesters. Additionally, he suggested that U.S. military action against Iran was not imminent.
“We’re going to watch and see what the process is,” the president stated when questioned if the United States was still considering military action. “We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping. It’s stopped. It’s stopping, and there’s no plan for executions.”
“So I’ve been told that a good authority — we will find out about it. I’m sure if it happens, we’ll all be very upset… but that’s just gotten to me, the information that the killing has stopped, that the executions have stopped, they’re not going to have an execution,” he continued.
Almost simultaneously with the NOTAM issuance, Italy, Spain, and Poland issued alerts advising against all travel to the Middle East, with an emphasis on “all but essential” travel to Israel. Those countries also joined a growing list urging their citizens to leave Iran immediately.
Market analysts noted that the sudden closure triggered an immediate 3% rise in global oil prices as traders braced for potential supply chain disruptions. Major international carriers, including Lufthansa and Air France, confirmed they had begun rerouting long-haul flights to Asia to avoid the Tehran Flight Information Region, adding hours of travel time and significant fuel costs to standard routes.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
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