02.04.2026 13:22
While the Iran-Israel-US war continues with all its intensity in the Middle East, Switzerland announced that it approved 4 out of 11 flight requests from the US regarding attacks on Iran, stating that it granted approval for "aircraft not clearly related to the conflict" in accordance with its neutrality laws and closed its airspace in other cases.
As the war that began with the attacks on Iran by the US and Israel on February 28 and continued with mutual missile strikes enters its 34th day, a notable airspace decision has come from Switzerland, following Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
THE MAJORITY OF REQUESTS WERE REJECTED
Switzerland rejected the majority of flight requests from the US under its neutrality laws. According to data from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), only 4 out of 11 applications made from the US between March 5-23 were accepted. It was announced that one of the applications was withdrawn by the US. According to a report by Keystone-SDA based on FOCA, a total of 12 requests were submitted from different countries for flights to the Middle East, but only a limited portion of these were approved.
ONLY HUMANITARIAN FLIGHTS PERMITTED
FOCA stated that Swiss airspace is open only to flights that are "clearly not related to conflict." The statement emphasized that flights for humanitarian and medical purposes, such as transporting the injured, are permitted. It was expressed that flight requests related to armed conflicts would be rejected under the neutrality law. In this context, it was reported that a request from the United Arab Emirates was also not accepted.
THE US'S LOSS IN THE WAR IS VERY SIGNIFICANT
Iran's missile and especially drone attacks have caused significant damage to the US military presence in the Middle East. While billions of dollars in damage occurred during the attacks, hundreds of soldiers were injured, and criticisms regarding the inadequacy of critical defense systems increased. According to The Times, based in the UK, a large portion of the 13 US military bases in the region suffered serious damage in the ongoing conflicts with Iran. It was noted that damages exceeded 1.5 billion dollars in the first month of the war, with more than 300 soldiers injured and 13 soldiers losing their lives.
AWACS AIRCRAFT DESTROYED
It was reported that the US E-3 Sentry AWACS early warning aircraft was directly hit and destroyed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The loss of these aircraft, each valued at approximately 300 million dollars, significantly affected the US's air surveillance capacity in the region. It was stated that Iran's Shahed-136 type kamikaze drones were able to bypass advanced air defense systems due to their low altitude and high mobility. Criticisms regarding the Pentagon's lack of preparedness against this new threat drew attention.
THREATS WERE ONCE AGAIN THROWN
On the other hand, US President Donald Trump stated, "We will complete all military targets in Iran in a short time. We will hit them hard in the next 2-3 weeks and take them back to the Stone Age." Trump also emphasized that the US does not need the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "If countries in the world are taking oil from Hormuz, they should do it, they should lead. Iran is currently in a decapitated state. They will want to sell oil because that is all they have."