The U.S. Sanctions a Company Linked to Mahan Air

On Monday, July 9, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against a tourism and travel company based in Malaysia for providing services to Mahan Air. The Treasury stated that Mahan Services and Tourism was sanctioned for acting as a sales agent for Mahan Airlines. Mahan Air was placed on the U.S. sanctions list in 2011 for allegedly providing services to the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and for transferring personnel and weapons to Lebanon and Syria. According to the statement, all assets and properties of Mahan Services and Tourism in the U.S. will be seized. Steven Mnuchin, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, stated that Mahan Air is the preferred airline of the Quds Force to facilitate its support for terrorism throughout the Middle East. He further emphasized that Mahan Airlines is used to bolster Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, and to send weapons, foreign fighters, and Iranian forces with the aim of spreading violence in the region. Mnuchin stressed that the U.S. government's position regarding Mahan Air's deadly role has always been clear. Our action against an independent company providing services to Mahan Air makes it clear to all actors in the aviation industry that they must immediately sever all ties with this airline and distance themselves from it. He added that companies continuing to provide services to Mahan Air or facilitating the entry and exit of its aircraft to airports in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia should be aware of the risk of heavy financial penalties. Previously, Iranian officials had denied allegations of transferring weapons for Hezbollah Lebanon using passenger planes.