Kathmandu. Tehran: Iran closed its airspace for commercial flights for hours on Thursday morning, without giving a clear reason, as tensions with the United States escalated over Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.

The shutdown lasted for more than four hours, according to pilot guidance issued by Iran, a major east-west international flight route. During this period, international airlines diverted their flights north and south without using Iran’s airspace. The shutdown later signaled an end and most domestic flights resumed after 7 a.m.

Iran has previously closed its airspace in June after the 12-day war with Israel and the Israeli-Hamas war. But this time around, there are no obvious signs of a military confrontation, but the impact of the shutdown was quickly felt internationally as Iran is at a crucial juncture for global aviation.

“Many airlines have already reduced or suspended their services and most carriers have started avoiding Iranian airspace”, said SafeSpace, a website that provides information on conflict zones and air travel. Such a situation also increases the risk of civilian aircraft being mistaken for a target. ”

In the past, Iran has misidentified commercial aircraft as hostile targets. In 2020, Iranian air defenses fired two surface-to-air missiles at Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. At the time, Iran denied the accusations for days, calling it Western propaganda, but later admitted that it had been shot down by its own defenses.

This year’s airspace closure comes after some employees at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its staff to “temporarily stop” travel to some military bases in the Gulf region. Meanwhile, at the request of the United States, the UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting on the situation in Iran on Thursday afternoon.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s vague remarks on Wednesday have raised uncertainty about possible U.S. action against Iran. Speaking to reporters, he said he had received information that plans for the execution in Iran had been halted, without giving further details. A day earlier, he said “help is coming” to protesters in Iran and warned his administration would “take appropriate measures” in response to the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged the United States to find a solution through dialogue in an effort to de-escalate tensions. “My message is clear: diplomacy is the best way between war and diplomacy,” he said in an interview with Fox News. Although our experience with the United States has not been positive, diplomacy is always better than war. ”

The change in tone from the US and Iran came hours after the head of Iran’s judiciary said the government must move quickly to bring thousands of people under detention to justice. Human rights activists have warned that the execution of prisoners could take place soon.

At least 2,615 people have been killed so far due to repression by security forces during the protests, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The number is believed to be the biggest human casualty in decades and is reminiscent of the chaos of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.