General Licence J-1
OFAC licence permitting temporary US sojourns by certain Iran-linked civil aircraft; suspended 8 September 2026.
OFAC suspended General Licence J-1 on 8 September 2026, alongside the designation of 27 Iranian airlines. The licence had let certain Iran-linked civil aircraft make temporary sojourns in the United States.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for General Licence J-1
Lost its wind-down cover when General Licence DD expired
Iran Conflict 2026: OFAC lets the ship repair licence lapseMentioned in: Iran aviation licence expires 23 Sept
Iran Conflict 2026Suspended civil aviation authorisation the wind-down covers
Iran Conflict 2026: Two Iran wind-down windows shut four days apartOFAC designates 27 of Iran's airlines
Iran Conflict 2026Background
General Licence J-1 was the Office of Foreign Assets Control's standing authorisation for temporary sojourns in the United States by certain civil aircraft connected to Iran. It sat inside the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations at 31 CFR part 560, and it was suspended on 8 September 2026. OFAC moved that day against 27 of Iran's airlines, plus nine facilitators abroad, under Executive Order 13902.
The mechanics matter more than the text. A general licence lets a whole category of transaction proceed without anyone applying for permission. Withdraw it and every affected transaction goes into the case-by-case queue instead, which is slower, discretionary and on the record.
Its withdrawal has the longest reach in the aviation package. Overflight payments and ship repairs kept a wind-down window under General Licence DD, and the civil-aircraft authority this licence had covered expired with that licence on 23 September 2026. Aircraft safety at 31 CFR 560.528 was left off the wind-down list entirely and lost cover on 8 September with no transition at all.
Suspension removed cover for civil aircraft
OFAC suspended the licence on 8 September 2026. The same action listed 27 Iranian carriers, with nine facilitators abroad, under Executive Order 13902. Until then it had allowed certain Iran-linked civil aircraft to make temporary sojourns in the United States without anyone applying for individual permission.
General Licence DD held a wind-down window open for business already under way, including the civil-aircraft flights this licence had covered. That window closed at 00:01 Eastern on 23 September 2026 with no successor and no announcement. Two days after the suspension Treasury adopted a presumption of denial for remaining Iran-specific licence applications, which leaves no ordinary route back to the permission this licence used to give.
What was General Licence J-1?
Why did OFAC suspend General Licence J-1?
What replaced General Licence J-1?
