Boeing Will Not Deliver Any Aircraft to Iran

On Wednesday, June 6, Boeing announced that due to the reinstatement of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic, it does not intend to deliver any aircraft to Iran. According to AFP, a Boeing spokesperson stated that the company has not yet delivered any aircraft to Iran and since it no longer has the 'license to sell' aircraft to Iran, it will not deliver any aircraft to the country. This decision was made following the announcement of the United States' withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reinstatement of Washington's sanctions against Iran's nuclear program by President Donald Trump. Previously, the U.S. Treasury Secretary had announced that with the country's exit from the JCPOA, the license for the sale of Airbus and Boeing aircraft to Iran would be revoked. According to Steven Mnuchin, the license for the sale of commercial aircraft, parts, and services was issued based on the JCPOA, which is now being revoked. After signing the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, Tehran ordered 200 passenger aircraft, including 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing, and 20 from the Italian-French company ATR. The sale of all these aircraft requires a license issued by the U.S. government. Boeing had signed a contract in 2016 to sell 80 aircraft worth $17 billion to Iran Air. The company was scheduled to deliver the first aircraft, a Boeing 777 model, to Iran Air in May of this year. The announcement of Boeing's withdrawal from its business relationship with Iran comes just two days after the French company Peugeot-Citroën announced it was halting its investments in Iran. Although European countries have stated that they remain committed to the JCPOA and are trying to take measures against U.S. sanctions, major companies in various economic sectors are gradually exiting the Iranian market. Recently, the CEO of Iran Air also announced that with the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, fuel delivery for Iran's foreign flights will soon be cut off, and according to him, they will have to send money 'in suitcases' to secure fuel. Farzaneh Sharafbafi, in a Tehran prosecutor's meeting to investigate the causes of flight delays, referred to the sanctions on Iran's aviation industry and stated that the average age of Iran's fleet is 24 years, and the state of Iraq and Afghanistan's aviation industries is better than ours. The decision by some major companies to cut business ties with Iran comes as the U.S. Treasury Department warned Washington's partners and the private sector about economic relations with Tehran. The department stated that Iran is trying to use these relations and collaborations to finance what it calls 'malicious' objectives in the world. Islamic Republic officials have also stated that they will remain committed to the JCPOA as long as Iran's interests are secured by remaining in this agreement. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has also said that he does not trust major European countries, and they must provide 'practical guarantees' regarding Iran's interests.