Iran reopens airspace after hours-long shutdown spooks airlines

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Iran reopened its airspace early Thursday after a temporary closure that barred most incoming and outgoing flights for several hours amid concerns the U.S. could carry out military strikes, raising risks for airlines.

The restriction, which ended at 3:30 a.m UTC, or 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, was in place for 5 hours.

Live data from flight tracker FlightRadar24 showed most aircraft still skirting Iranian airspace as of 4 a.m. UTC, though some domestic carriers had begun resuming flights.

The initial order exempted international flights to and from Tehran, provided they received prior approval from Iran's civil aviation authority.

The airspace closure comes as tensions escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened intervention following a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran. Trump has publicly said he would "come to the rescue" of Iranian protestors if the violent crackdown continued.

The U.S. has begun relocating some personnel and equipment from American military bases in the Middle East amid Iranian threats to strike those locations if Washington launches an attack.

Trump later appeared to soften his tone. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday night, Trump said he has been assured that the killings of protestors in Iran had stopped and that he would "watch it and see" regarding potential U.S. military action.

Several airlines have canceled or rerouted flights to Tehran in recent days. India's largest airline, IndiGo, said Thursday that some of its international flights would be impacted by Iran's airspace closure.

Earlier this week, Germany warned its airlines against entering Iranian airspace. In an emailed response to CNBC on Thursday, the Lufthansa Group said it would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice, with some flights canceled.

The U.S. has prohibited all American commercial flights from overflying Iran. Airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines have also canceled multiple flights to Iran over the past week.

Protests erupted late last year after Iran's national currency, the rial, plunged to record lows, worsening a cost-of-living crisis. The unrest has since evolved into a broader movement against the government's theocratic rule, leading to brutal clashes that have killed at least 2,571 people, according to the U.S.-based HRANA rights group.

— CNBC's Nur Hikmah Md Ali contributed to this story.

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