German airline Lufthansa said on Wednesday it had delayed flights to Tehran due to the situation in the Middle East, which is on alert for possible Iranian retaliation for an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Syria.
Iran’s news agency briefly stoked tensions when it posted an Arabic-language report on social media saying all airspace over Tehran had been closed for military exercises. The agency then removed the report and appeared to have published such news, Fena said, citing Reuters.
Countries in the region and the United States have been on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran since April 1, when Israeli warplanes were suspected of bombing the Iranian embassy compound in Syria.
Lufthansa said it had postponed flights to and from Tehran from April 6 until, most likely, April 11.
“We are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities. The safety of our guests and crew members is Lufthansa’s top priority,” a company spokesman told Reuters.
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines are the only two Western carriers operating international flights to Tehran, which is mainly served by Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines.
