Flight status of passenger planes around Iran [Flightradar24 screen capture]

The Iranian government, which has been responding sternly by indiscriminately shooting anti-government protesters despite warnings of military intervention from the United States, has suddenly closed its airspace, escalating tensions in the region.

According to Reuters and Bloomberg, Iran announced on the 15th (local time) via international aviation notices that it would close its airspace for "air missions" from 1:45 AM to 4:00 AM Iranian time (7:15 AM to 9:30 AM Korean time).

The Iranian government explained that some international flights that had received prior authorization from its aviation authorities would still be able to fly to and from Iran.

Iran later announced a further notice extending the airspace closure time by three and a half hours, until 7:30 AM Iranian time (1:00 PM Korean time).

Iran's airspace closure comes amid warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump of potential military intervention, citing the Iranian government's killing of protesters.

Even before Iran's announcement of airspace closure, U.S. airlines had already prohibited flights through Iranian airspace on their own.

Other countries, including Germany, have also advised their airlines to exercise caution when entering Iranian airspace, and in reality, many passenger planes are avoiding flying over Iran.

As of 10:30 AM Korean time, Flightradar24, a site showing the global movement of passenger aircraft, indicates only one passenger plane flying over Iran.

Nevertheless, the news of Iran's airspace closure, combined with recent reports of the U.S. military recommending the withdrawal of some personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. base in the Middle East, has significantly heightened regional tensions.

The U.S. Embassy in Qatar also posted a notice on its website on the 15th, advising U.S. citizens in Qatar to refrain from visiting Al Udeid Air Base.