Germany has moved to the highest rung of travel risk for Iran, joining Canada, Ireland, the United States, France, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and a growing list of governments now explicitly warning their citizens not to go to the country at all.

The coordinated wave of “do not travel” orders comes as Iran reels from its deadliest unrest since the 1979 revolution, a sweeping internet blackout, and a brief but dramatic closure of its airspace that disrupted commercial flights across the Middle East on January 15, 2026.

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Germany Raises the Alarm on Iran by Land and Air

Berlin’s latest move on Iran has gone beyond routine caution. In updated guidance issued this week, German authorities advised citizens to avoid all travel to Iran and urged those already in the country to leave while commercial options remain. Officials cited the scale of ongoing protests, the risk of arbitrary detention and the sudden deterioration in regional security as key drivers behind the decision.

The warning followed an unusual step by Germany’s aviation regulator, which on January 14 cautioned airlines against using Iranian airspace just as Iran temporarily shut its skies to most commercial traffic. German flag carrier Lufthansa quickly adjusted its operations, suspending overflights of both Iran and neighboring Iraq, and restructuring Middle East rotations to minimize crew layovers in the region.

The brief closure of Iranian airspace on January 15 forced carriers from Europe, Asia and the Gulf to reroute or delay flights, underscoring the fragility of the air corridor that links Europe with India and Southeast Asia. Aviation risk monitors recalled the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet near Tehran in 2020, warning that the combination of military tension and domestic unrest again makes Iranian skies a high-risk environment.

For German travelers and tour operators, the new “do not travel” stance is a clear signal that Iran has shifted from niche, higher-risk destination to effectively off-limits. Travel insurance coverage is likely to be curtailed or voided for trips that go ahead in defiance of the advisory, and major German tour brands are expected to suspend Iran itineraries for the foreseeable future.

Canada, Ireland and Other Allies Tighten Their “Avoid All Travel” Lines

Canada has been among the most forceful in its recent messaging on Iran. Global Affairs Canada now assigns the country its highest risk level, “avoid all travel,” and in updates released in mid-January it has begun urging Canadians on the ground to leave immediately if they can do so safely. Officials stress that consular assistance is “extremely limited” in Iran, and warn of a high risk of arbitrary arrest, especially for dual nationals and visitors engaged in activities authorities could frame as political.

Canadian travel advisories point to several converging threats. Nationwide protests that began in late December 2025 have spread from Tehran to multiple provincial cities, driven by soaring living costs, deepening economic hardship and broader political grievances. Security forces have responded with live ammunition, mass arrests and what human rights groups describe as thousands of deaths. Ottawa has also highlighted the risk of collateral harm from ongoing regional hostilities and the possibility of further missile or drone exchanges involving Iran and its adversaries.

The Canadian government recently folded Iran into a wider tightening of its global travel-risk map, grouping it with other “no-go” destinations where conflict, state repression or lawlessness have made normal tourism untenable. Federal officials have updated Iran’s page repeatedly since early January, advising citizens to reassess whether they can remain and to secure exit routes even as commercial flights are scaled back.

Ireland, which often synchronizes its security messaging with partners in the European Union, has likewise shifted to a strong “do not travel” posture on Iran. Dublin’s latest warning stresses the unpredictability of the situation on the ground, the risk that foreign passport holders may be targeted or used for political leverage, and the severe disruption to communications that can make it difficult for embassies to track or assist their nationals.

United States and France Deepen Warnings as Unrest Turns Deadly

The United States was among the first to elevate Iran to the highest travel warning, maintaining a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for several years because of risks that include wrongful detention and the absence of normal consular services. In recent days, Washington has sharpened that language, explicitly linking the advice to the current protest wave and reporting that security forces have killed thousands of people across the country.

American officials are now telling U.S. citizens in Iran to depart “immediately” while limited commercial options exist, emphasizing that the government’s ability to assist if they are detained or injured is extremely constrained. The State Department has also authorized non-essential staff evacuations from certain regional posts and cautioned U.S. travelers to avoid transiting Iranian airspace whenever possible.

France has followed suit with its own hardening of guidance. The French foreign ministry has urged all French nationals to refrain from traveling to Iran and has recommended that those currently in the country consider leaving as conditions permit. Paris has been particularly vocal about the information blackout emerging from Iran, with officials confirming they are exploring the possibility of sending satellite internet terminals into the country to help counter a near-total shutdown of connectivity imposed since January 8.

French authorities frame their advice in stark terms: between the blackout, mass arrests and episodes of violence that some officials now compare to civil war conditions in parts of the country, they warn that travelers cannot count on normal rule-of-law protections. They also argue that the lack of independent media and functioning internet makes it nearly impossible for would-be visitors to assess risk accurately from afar.

UAE, Italy and Regional Gateways Reassess Their Exposure

The United Arab Emirates, which serves as a critical air and commercial hub for traffic in and out of Iran, has quietly tightened its own language on travel and transit. While the Gulf state maintains extensive trade and transport links with Iran, Emirati authorities now advise their citizens to avoid non-essential trips there and are monitoring the situation closely for signs of spillover instability.

Across the travel industry, carriers based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have begun to adjust their exposure. Some have reduced frequencies or switched to daytime-only operations on routes that pass near or through Iranian airspace. Others have built in additional contingency time to cope with sudden airspace closures or diversion orders similar to those seen on January 15.

Italy, another key European gateway for travel to the Middle East, has also moved Iran into its highest-risk category. Rome’s latest notices warn Italian nationals not to travel to Iran under any circumstances and highlight both the internal security crackdown and the broader risk of military escalation affecting the region. Italian flag carrier ITA Airways has adjusted its own schedules in response to the turmoil, including precautionary changes to flights that operate within range of Iranian missile and air-defense systems.

The combined effect of the UAE and Italy’s reassessments is to constrict the network of viable connections into Iran. Together with moves by German and other European carriers, the changes are steadily reducing the number of airlines still willing to operate over Iranian territory, either as destination or overflight corridor.

Internet Blackout, Mass Arrests and a New Phase of Iran’s Crisis

Underlying this global tightening of travel warnings is a domestic crisis in Iran that has escalated rapidly since late December 2025. Nationwide protests erupted over the cost of living and shortages of basic goods, but quickly evolved into the broadest challenge to the country’s clerical leadership in decades. Demonstrations have spread to dozens of cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Kermanshah, prompting a sweeping security response.

Human rights organizations and Western officials now speak of several thousand deaths and tens of thousands of arrests, though the precise toll is difficult to verify because of severe restrictions on information. Iran’s own chief justice recently called for swift punishment of detainees, and senior officials have characterized parts of the unrest as “civil war,” alleging the involvement of foreign-backed armed groups alongside peaceful protesters.

On January 8, Iranian authorities imposed what cybersecurity experts describe as an unprecedented digital blackout, severing nearly all external internet links and even disrupting internal connectivity across the national network. Monitoring groups reported that most sites hosted inside Iran became unreachable, phone services were heavily curtailed in major cities, and social media and messaging platforms went dark nationwide.

The blackout has made it far more difficult for travelers, diplomats and news organizations to communicate with people on the ground, confirm conditions in different regions or arrange safe passage out of the country. It is this combination of physical danger and informational opacity that foreign ministries cite when justifying their most severe “do not travel” guidance.

Airspace Shocks Highlight Broader Aviation Risks

The temporary shutdown of Iranian airspace on January 15 has injected an additional layer of concern into an already volatile situation. Without prior public notice, Iran halted most commercial overflights for more than four hours, forcing airlines to divert aircraft mid-route and delaying services across some of the world’s busiest east–west corridors.

Although authorities later confirmed that operations had resumed, they offered no clear explanation for the closure. Analysts speculate that it may have been triggered by heightened military alert levels amid fears of U.S. strikes or other foreign intervention, or by concerns that foreign aircraft could be mistaken for hostile targets during moments of tension.

Aviation safety experts have drawn comparisons to earlier episodes in which conflict and miscalculation in the region have led to civilian aircraft being brought down. They warn that the combination of active unrest on the ground, powerful anti-aircraft systems and limited communication links raises the risk profile for any carrier operating in Iranian airspace, whether landing in the country or simply overflying it.

In practical terms, this is likely to mean longer routes for flights between Europe and destinations in India, Southeast Asia and Australia as airlines increasingly route around not just Iran but, in some cases, adjacent high-risk areas. Travelers can expect longer flight times, more frequent schedule changes and a greater incidence of last-minute diversions as carriers adjust to evolving advisories from their own governments and international regulators.

What the New “Do Not Travel” Orders Mean for Travelers and the Industry

For individual travelers, a “do not travel” or “avoid all travel” warning is not a legal ban, but it carries significant consequences. Many insurers exclude coverage for trips that proceed contrary to an official advisory from the policyholder’s home government. That can affect everything from emergency medical care and evacuation to basic trip cancellation protections if flights are disrupted or borders close.

Tour operators, cruise lines and group travel organizers also treat such advisories as a red line in their risk calculations. Once a country is placed in the highest warning category by multiple major governments, packaged tours are typically suspended, marketing is halted and existing bookings are rerouted or refunded. Iran, which had been slowly rebuilding a niche cultural tourism market in recent years, is now watching that business collapse virtually overnight.

For airlines and global distribution systems, the convergence of warnings on Iran triggers a complex reworking of schedules, route permissions and contingency planning. Carriers that continue to serve Tehran or other Iranian cities must weigh the commercial value of those routes against elevated insurance premiums, crew-safety concerns and the possibility of sudden airspace closures. Many are opting to scale back or suspend operations until the situation stabilizes.

Travelers who had been considering Iran for 2026 are now being advised by agents and booking platforms to look elsewhere, at least in the short to medium term. Even if the unrest were to ease rapidly, most experts say it would take months, if not years, for confidence to return to a level where mainstream tour operators and major insurers feel comfortable reentering the market.

Growing International Pressure and the Outlook for Travel to Iran

Beyond the realm of travel, the coordinated tightening of advisories reflects widening diplomatic pressure on Tehran. Canada, European governments and the United States have all used their travel warnings to highlight human rights abuses, arbitrary detentions and the use of lethal force against protesters, effectively turning their outbound tourism guidance into another channel for signaling condemnation.

Iranian officials, for their part, insist that the country remains open for business and that security forces are confronting what they describe as foreign-backed subversion. They reject accusations of mass executions and say that unrest is limited to small pockets of violence. However, the continued internet blackout, the fresh shutdown of airspace and the public calls by senior judicial figures for swift punishment of detainees have done little to reassure foreign governments or potential visitors.

For now, the consensus among major Western and allied states is that Iran is not a safe destination for their citizens. Germany’s decision to join Canada, Ireland, the United States, France, the UAE, Italy and others at the strictest advisory level signals that this view is hardening, not softening, as the crisis unfolds.

Travel industry analysts say that unless there is a dramatic easing of repression on the streets, restoration of full communications and credible guarantees about the safety of foreign nationals, Iran is likely to remain on the world’s “do not travel” lists for the foreseeable future. For travelers weighing their options in 2026, the message from governments and airlines alike is clear: avoid Iran, monitor advisories closely, and be prepared for rapid change across the wider region as the unrest continues to deepen.