Boeing Delegation to Visit Tehran Next Week

The public relations department of the Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines has announced that a delegation from Boeing will travel to Tehran to explore potential collaborations with Iranian airlines. According to a report on Friday, April 20, by IRNA, the public relations department stated that the delegation's visit will examine possible cooperation from Boeing in supporting the current fleet, with the presence of senior managers from the Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines and managers from other private Iranian airlines. Boeing has not yet responded to this announcement from the Iranian airline. Abbas Akhoundi, Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development, had announced on March 4 that managers from Boeing had been invited to travel to Iran for the purchase of passenger aircraft. This comes as the U.S. Treasury Department issued a 'general license' on April 5 allowing the sale of passenger aircraft to Iran, permitting American companies to sell planes to Iran after more than three decades. The 'general license' specifies that American citizens are allowed to participate in all usual transactions related to negotiations, as well as contracts subject to 'license for activities related to the export and re-export of commercial passenger aircraft and related parts and services to Iran,' provided that the execution of any of these contracts requires a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (conditional contract). Barack Obama, the President of the United States, issued a license for the sale of passenger aircraft to Iran on January 15 of last year. This license was issued on the eve of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which ended the confrontation between Iran and the international community over Tehran's nuclear program. Following Obama's issuance of the license, Boeing announced on February 19 that it had received the green light from the U.S. government to conduct business with Iran. The company stated that based on the license it received, it is allowed to cooperate with approved airlines in Iran. Abbas Akhoundi also mentioned on March 4 that they had invited managers from Boeing to travel to Iran for the purchase of passenger aircraft. The U.S. had prohibited the sale of passenger aircraft to Iran following the hostage crisis of its diplomats in Tehran in 1979.