Obama: We will veto any legislation that obstructs the sale of passenger planes to Iran

The Obama administration warned the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday that it would veto any legislation that creates obstacles for financial facilitation of passenger plane exports to Iran. According to Reuters, the White House announced this on Monday, November 15, adding that the passage of such laws could harm the future of the nuclear agreement with Iran. Following the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, agreements have been made for the sale of Airbus and Boeing planes to Iran, but predominantly Republican representatives in the House of Representatives are seeking to pass a bill to prevent this, especially after Donald Trump's victory in the elections. The JCPOA was the result of long negotiations between the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany with Iran, and the White House stated that U.S. partners view the proposed bill in the House as a violation of the JCPOA. Years of sanctions against the Islamic Republic have worn down Iran's aviation fleet, and Iran Air is trying to improve the quality of its fleet by purchasing or leasing over 200 passenger planes from Airbus and Boeing. Some members of Congress have expressed concern that canceling contracts for plane sales to Iran would also eliminate many jobs in the U.S., while others argue that the Islamic Republic may use these planes for military purposes. According to the latter group, Iran might use the purchased passenger planes to transport armed individuals to battlefronts against U.S.-backed groups in Syria. The bill being considered in the House of Representatives, which is set to be voted on this week, aims to prevent the U.S. Treasury Department from issuing licenses to financial institutions to facilitate the export and import of commercial aircraft to Iran. According to Reuters, since the passage of this bill requires support from Democratic representatives as well, it is not expected to pass successfully in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, American lawmakers expect that after Donald Trump's inauguration as the new President of the United States in January, they will pursue other ways to stop the sale of passenger planes to Iran. Donald Trump is a critic of the JCPOA and has described the agreement reached with Iran as 'a very bad deal.' In this context, on Tuesday, Alireza Manzari, former deputy of the Civil Aviation Organization, told ISNA that he believes that under the current circumstances and considering the agreements that have been made between Iran and international economic entities, a change in U.S. political leadership 'cannot have a serious impact on the implementation of the agreements.' He added, 'If there is a possibility for the agreements of the past months to be implemented on time, it seems that the U.S. government cannot seriously obstruct this path.' The former deputy of the Civil Aviation Organization pointed out that Iran has made efforts to finalize negotiations with aircraft manufacturers in recent weeks, stating, 'We have tried to reach a final contract by following up on these negotiations, and if these contracts have progressed to their final stages, given the license that the U.S. Treasury has provided, there is no possibility of circumventing it because the party that disrupts the contract must pay heavy penalties. Therefore, the current agreements may not be in serious danger.' Alireza Manzari also discussed the possibility of continuing negotiations and purchasing new aircraft, saying, 'This issue may face some ambiguity and concern because the U.S. government may intend to increase pressure to eliminate the possibility of financing or issuing licenses. However, given that Iran has fulfilled all its responsibilities, this will also be difficult for them, but we certainly need to have this concern and think about it from now on.'