British Airways will suspend its direct flights to Iran's capital in September as "the operation is currently not commercially viable". The decision announced on Thursday comes after President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and began restoring US sanctions. British Airways says its last flight from London to Tehran will be on September 22, with the return flight the following day. Air France have also announced they will suspend flights from next month. British Airways resumed direct flights to Tehran in September 2016. Service had been suspended in October 2012 as relations deteriorated between Britain and Iran. Britain was among the world powers that struck the 2015 atomic accord.<doc-sep>British Airways has announced it will be suspending its flights between London and Iran, citing a lack of “commercial viability". British Airways currently operates six flights per week in either direction. The last outbound flight from London to Tehran will depart on 22 September, and the last inbound flight from Tehran will depart on 23 September. The duration of the suspension period remains unknown. British Airways made the following statement to The Independent: “We are suspending our London to Tehran service as the operation is currently not commercially viable. “We are sorry for any disruption this may cause to our customers' travel plans and we are in discussions with our partner airlines to offer customers rebooking options. “Alternatively, they will be offered a full refund or the opportunity to bring their flights forward.” British Airways suspended the same service in October 2012 due to political instability in Iran, resuming the route in September 2016. The decision follows Dutch carrier KLM, which announced last month that it would suspend its Tehran flights due to “negative results and financial outlook”. Recommended The art of picnicking in Iran UK tour operator Wild Frontiers is making alternative flight arrangements for its Iran-bound customers. Jonny Bealby, Wild Frontier founder, described the suspension as “a massive shame". “We have sent over 1,500 people to Iran without incident over the last 10 years,” he adds. "The great thing about travel is it breaks down borders and transcends geopolitical disputes. Time and time again our clients return saying the Iranian people were the friendliest they had ever met. The Persian hospitality is legendary,” says Bealby.<doc-sep>British Airways and Air France have announced they will end direct flights to Iran's capital, Tehran, starting next month. British Airways, which is owned by Spanish-registered IAG , said its last outbound flight from London to Tehran will be on September 22, with the return flight scheduled for September 23. Air France, which had run connections to the Iranian capital through its low-cost operator, Joon, said it would end flights from Paris to Tehran on September 18. The move comes months after US President Donald Trump announced he would reimpose sanctions on Iran, some of which took effect this month. In May, he withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, an agreement between the Middle Eastern country and Western powers under which most international sanctions on the nation were lifted in return for restrictions on and inspections of its nuclear program. Read more: Opinion: Trump playing good cop/bad cop with Iran British Airways said it was suspending its London to Tehran service "as the operation is currently not commercially viable," while Air France said it was stopping flights because of what it called "the line's weak performance." "As the number of business customers flying to Iran has fallen, the connection is not profitable anymore," said a spokesperson for Air France. The French airline's Dutch partner KLM announced last month it was halting flights to Tehran, due to "negative results and financial outlook." British Airways had reinstated its service from London to Tehran in the wake of the Iran nuclear deal in 2015. Air France reopened its Paris-Tehran route in 2016. US sanctions against Iran are back in effect Sanctions signed off US President Trump signed an executive order on August 5 aimed at piling financial pressure on Tehran to force a "comprehensive and lasting solution" to Iranian threats, including its development of missiles and regional "malign" activities. Trump warned that those who don't wind down their economic ties to Iran "risk severe consequences." US sanctions against Iran are back in effect Where's the money? The first phase, which took effect on August 7, targets the Islamic Republic's access to US banknotes, making transactions in a US-dollar dominated financial world difficult. A ban on Iran purchasing precious metals including gold further serves as an attempt to cut the country off from global markets. US sanctions against Iran are back in effect Planes, cars and carpets Phase one also hits key industries including the purchase of commercial planes, cars and carpets. Iranian imports of graphite, aluminum, steel, coal, gold and some software are also affected. German automaker Daimler called off the production and sale of Mercedes-Benz trucks in Iran indefinitely after the sanctions came into force. US sanctions against Iran are back in effect Fuel to the fire A second phase of sanctions — which is due to take effect on November 5 and will block Iran's oil sales — is due to cause more damage. Several countries, however, including China, India and Turkey have indicated they are not willing to entirely cut their Iranian energy purchases. US sanctions against Iran are back in effect 'Psychological warfare' Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the United States had launched "psychological warfare" against Iran to create division amongst its people. But he insisted that Iran still can rely on its allies China and Russia to keep its oil and banking sectors afloat. He has also demanded compensation for decades of American "intervention" in the Islamic Republic. US sanctions against Iran are back in effect EU protection European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc is encouraging small and medium enterprises to increase their business with Iran. She said Tehran has been compliant with their nuclear-related commitments. The EU issued a "blocking statute" to protect European businesses from the impact of the sanctions. Author: Keith Walker Praise from Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the decision from the airlines. "That is good, more should follow, more will follow, because Iran should not be rewarded for its aggression in the region, for its attempts to spread terrorism far and wide," Netanyahu told a news conference during a visit to Lithuania. German airline Lufthansa, meanwhile, has said it has no plans of ending its service to Tehran. "We are closely monitoring the developments," it said in a statement. "For the time being, Lufthansa will continue to fly to Tehran as scheduled and no changes are envisaged." Read more: Iran nuclear deal: Germany's special role and plans Since Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal earlier this year, the other parties involved — Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia — have vowed to keep the accord alive. The EU, with help from the private sector, has pledged €18 million ($20.6 million) in aid to compensate for the US departure. However, a number of European companies including German carmaker Daimler, Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Bahn, have announced their intentions to scrap investment plans in Iran. dv/cmk (AFP, AP, Reuters) Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.<doc-sep>
British Airways is suspending its flights between London and Iran saying they are 'not commercially viable'. The airline has announced it will stop flying between Heathrow and Tehran next month. The move follows the U.S withdrawal from a nuclear deal with Iran and foreign companies subsequently backing out of the country. It apologised for the disruption to passengers due to travel on later flights and is offering refunds or the option to bring their itineraries forward. British Airways is suspending its London to Tehran flights next month, saying they are not 'commercially viable' US president Donald Trump recently reinstated financial sanctions on Iran and accused it of supporting terrorism and undermining global financial systems. In August 2015, the British embassy in Tehran reopened after it was ransacked by a mob in 2011. British Airways resumed London to Tehran flights after a gap of four years in September 2016. The service was suspended in October 2012 amid instability in Iran. It currently operates five flights per week in each direction. British Airways' last flight from London to Tehran, pictured, will be on September 22 The last outbound flight to Tehran will be on September 22, with the final inbound flight to London on the following day. A spokesman for the carrier said: 'We are suspending our London to Tehran service as the operation is currently not commercially viable. 'We are sorry for any disruption this may cause to our customers' travel plans and we are in discussions with our partner airlines to offer customers rebooking options. 'Alternatively, they will be offered a full refund or the opportunity to bring their flights forward.' Dutch carrier KLM announced last month that it will also suspend its Tehran flights in September due to 'negative results and financial outlook'.