Updated

US sanctions on Iran's aviation and oil sectors continued to bite, with the UAE joining Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan in barring Iranian airlines, prompting Tehran to hint at retaliation against regional airports. Trucks have been jammed for days at the Turkey-Iran border as sanctions push trade overland instead of through blocked sea ports, while a Times of Israel report found China sent Iran roughly 1,300 shipments of drone and missile components this year via a sanctioned carrier whose flights to China rose nearly sevenfold since the war began. Despite the pressure, Gulf states have kept oil flowing through costly workarounds, and a US official said some 60 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday carrying the highest daily crude volume since early July. Analysts warn the fragile balance keeping oil near $100 a barrel may not hold, while an Iranian press review noted the sanctioned elite have profited billions from oil sanctions even as ordinary Iranians face shortages and suspended services.