Iranian airfares rose about 40% amid higher operating costs and a shortage of foreign currency, Iranian Airlines Association Secretary-General Majid Aghlaji said on Saturday. According to Sina Finance, Aghlaji said more than half of airlines’ operating expenses must be settled in foreign currency, but banks had been unable to provide airlines with foreign currency through official exchange channels for more than a month, forcing them to buy it at rates close to the black-market rate.