"Deep Concern" Expressed by Two Prominent US Congress Figures Over Sale of Airbus and Boeing Aircraft to Iran

Two prominent Republican figures in the US House of Representatives announced on Friday, September 23, that they will continue their campaign against the sale of Boeing and Airbus aircraft to Iran. This stance comes at a time when the US Treasury Department has issued licenses for the sale of several aircraft from these two major aviation companies to Iran. According to Reuters, Pete Roskam and Jeb Hensarling wrote a letter to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury, which oversees sanctions, requesting more answers regarding the security reasons for selling these aircraft to Iran. In this letter dated September 23, it states: "There is little evidence to suggest that Iran Air has stopped sending weapons, personnel, and money to terrorist groups and rogue regimes." These two congressional representatives are influential figures in the financial sector of the House of Representatives. Hensarling is the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, and Roskam chairs the Committee on Tax Policy and Procedures. Airbus and Boeing announced on Wednesday that they have received the necessary licenses from the US Treasury for the sale of more than 200 aircraft to Iran. These licenses were issued under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was reached last July between Iran and six world powers, including the US, to resolve Tehran's nuclear program. It seems that the issuance of these licenses is aimed at reducing Iran's criticisms regarding the implementation process of the JCPOA, which Tehran claims has not been able to benefit from despite eight months passing, accusing the US of not fulfilling its commitments. In this context, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in his speech on September 23 at the UN General Assembly, stated that "the delay by the United States in fulfilling its legal obligations in recent months is a strategic mistake that must be rectified immediately." He later stated in a press conference: "According to the JCPOA, after its implementation, the sale of passenger aircraft to Iran should be free, and sanctions and prohibitions in this area should be lifted; this means that from day one, all necessary licenses for the sale of aircraft should be issued; you see that in recent days, announcements are being made regarding aircraft similar to Airbus or Boeing; our complaint is about the delay." Based on the JCPOA, Tehran halted many of its nuclear activities, and in return, international sanctions against it were lifted or reduced. Reuters reports that some members of Congress have said that destroying this agreement could lead to the loss of many jobs at Boeing, while opponents believe that security concerns are more important. The letter from the two US representatives was addressed to Adam Szubin, the acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, and requested him to answer several detailed questions regarding issues such as the management of Iran's aviation and the Treasury Department's ability to monitor the sold aircraft. Major international banks have taken a cautious approach in dealing with Iran, and the financial guarantees for aviation contracts have also been subject to this caution. These financial institutions are concerned that they may fall under the target of other US sanctions against Iran related to terrorism and human rights violations. The majority of Republican representatives in the US oppose the nuclear agreement with Iran and have passed various proposals in recent months to limit the concessions given to Tehran under the JCPOA. However, the Obama administration has stated that it will veto all congressional resolutions regarding the JCPOA.