Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 200; Flight Crew Total 21000; Flight Crew Type 5000
Situational Awareness
No Specific Anomaly Occurred All Types
General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related
Dispatch flight planned us over Iran and they had us fly over/adjacent to two active MOA's/prohibited areas. We were flight planned to overfly one; surface to FL230 combat area NOTAMed with active gunfire. The flight plan also flew within 100 miles of another active MOA surface to FL820 [UNL]; also for active gunfire. Both MOA's were near the Iranian/Iraqi/Turkish border. The trip ended up canceling for a mechanical; but after doing some research on Iranian overflight I found a NOTAM on the FAA website; stating that near these MOA's Iranian forces have been known to fire at civilian airplanes.  US Flight Operations in Iranian Airspace FDC 7/8072 SPECIAL NOTICE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THIS NOTICE IS TO EMPHASIZE THAT BEFORE OPERATING IN OR ADJACENT TO IRANIAN AIRSPACE ALL U.S. AIRMEN AND OPERATORS SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH CURRENT CONDITIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE HAS ISSUED A TRAVEL WARNING FOR IRAN ADVISING; IN PART; THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DOES NOT CURRENTLY MAINTAIN DIPLOMATIC OR CONSULAR RELATIONS WITH THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. ANY U.S. OPERATOR PLANNING A FLIGHT THROUGH IRANIAN AIRSPACE SHOULD PLAN IN ADVANCE AND HAVE ALL CURRENT NOTAM'S AND AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION FOR ANY PLANNED FLIGHT. WIE UNTIL UFN.
Air carrier First Officer reports being dispatched to a Gulf state (Persian) via a route that overflies Iran and close to a current war Zone. The flight is canceled for mechanical reasons prior to any decision being made on whether to fly this route.