Iran Protests Live Updates: Tehran reopens airspace; sign of ease in tension with US?

The unrest in Iran is affecting India, with trade and travel both hit. On Thursday (January 15),
Iran temporarily shut its airspace around Tehran, its capital, amid ongoing tensions with the United States over nationwide protests against  Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei . Countries like Germany have issued advisories to airlines to steer clear of the Iranian airspace. Indian flights have also been hit.

Air India issued a travel advisory warning of possible delays as their flights were taking an alternative route. Similarly, IndiGo Airlines also released a notice citing airspace closure. The closure was announced through a Notice to Air Missions (Notam), with the space being closed until further notice.

In the weekslong nationwide protests, Iran’s theocratic regime has been facing the fury of people disillusioned by the Islamic Revolution’s unfulfilled promises. The economic unrest has threatened the legitimacy of the Ayatollah rule, and has also cracked open its iron door, giving its regional and Western rivals a foothold to test the regime’s supremacy. Along with this has come a technological challenge — the threat of mounting a cyber-offensive with debilitating effect.

Oil prices retreated from multi-month highs on Thursday and safe-haven gold ​eased back from a record peak after U.S. President Donald Trump calmed market anxiety about potential US military ‌action against Iran.

Gold fell 0.5% to around $4,598 per ounce. On Wednesday, it reached an unprecedented $4,642.72.

In an interview with Fox News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that a “misinformation campaign” surrounding the protests in his country is responsible for dragging the US into a conflict with Tehran.

Araghchi dismissed reports of thousands of protest-related deaths as a “misinformation campaign,” insisting the true toll was only in the hundreds. He argued that after ten days of peaceful demonstrations, the situation shifted into a “terrorist operation” orchestrated by external forces, claiming these “terrorist elements” were responsible for shooting civilians and security personnel alike.

Iran has reopened its airspace after over five hours of closure, which prompted many domestic and international flights to reroute or cancel flights. According to data on Flightradar24, five flights from Iranian carriers Mahan Air, Yazd Airways and AVA Airlines were among the first to resume over the country.

“With the NOTAM closing Iranian airspace expired, some flights are now making their way toward Tehran,” the flight tracker said on X.

Following reports that the US and UK have evacuated personnel from Qatar’s al-Udeid military base, the State Department has issued a formal travel warning. Citing the potential for imminent military action against Iran, officials advised American citizens in Qatar to exercise “increased caution” and restrict all non-essential travel to the base.

“Given ongoing regional tensions, the U.S. Embassy in Doha has advised its personnel to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Airbase. We recommend U.S. citizens in Qatar do the same,” the State Department said on X.

Indian airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, have issued travel advisories for some of their international passengers amid the closure of Iranian airspace.

In a post on X, IndiGo said, “Due to the sudden airspace closure by Iran, some of our international flights are impacted. Our teams are working diligently to assess the situation and support affected customers by offering the best possible alternatives.”

Similarly, Air India said, “Due to the emerging situation in Iran, the subsequent closure of its airspace, and in view of the safety of our passengers, Air India flights overflying the region are now using an alternative routing, which may lead to delays. Some Air India flights where currently rerouting is not possible are being cancelled.”

US President Donald Trump has said that while Reza Pahlavi, the opposition figure in Iran, “seems very nice,” he is unsure if the exiled crown prince can muster enough support to rule the country in the future.

“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country. I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me,” Trump told Reuters.