Sanctions Have Caused $190 Million Daily Damage to Iran's Industry

Masoud Soltani-Far, head of Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization, states that international sanctions have inflicted a daily damage of $190 million on Iran's industry. Speaking at the inauguration of a hotel in Semnan on Friday, February 5, he added, 'Those who considered the sanctions as mere paper did not have knowledge of such issues.' This remark refers to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's description of international sanctions against Iran as 'paper.' The nuclear sanctions were lifted more than two years after Ahmadinejad's presidency following Iran's implementation of the JCPOA, and officials of the Islamic Republic have expressed hope to compensate for the damages caused by these sanctions in the coming years. The Iranian aviation industry is among the sectors that suffered significantly during the sanctions, with currently 80 passenger planes grounded in the country. Soltani-Far mentioned that 'the country's airlines have 250 aircraft, of which 80 are grounded.' He added, 'One-third of the airlines are out of operation, and the remaining aircraft are old, with an average age of 27 years.' Western manufacturers have refrained from selling aircraft-related equipment and spare parts to Iranian companies since a ban was imposed in 1995. Some of these restrictions, which targeted branches of Iran's industry, faced criticism and were lifted following an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. During President Hassan Rouhani's recent visit to France, Paris and Tehran signed 20 contracts and agreements, the most significant of which is the purchase of 118 Airbus aircraft worth $25 billion. According to AFP, this contract includes the purchase of 73 large and 45 medium-sized aircraft. However, the signing of the aircraft purchase contract from the West has faced criticism from hardliners in Iran. Some conservative members of parliament have criticized the spending of large sums for aircraft purchases, stating that he should address unemployment instead. Mohammad-Reza Naqdi, commander of the Basij Organization, also claimed that 'Western intelligence agencies have spent money to publicize the purchase of Airbuses.' Supporters of the aircraft purchase, however, have declared that lifting the sanctions will lead to a 'new revolution' in Iran's air transport industry, stating, 'Those who have used national production as an excuse seem to be unaware that airplanes are not manufactured in Iran, and this vast industry is in the hands of a handful of countries in the world.'