The U.S. to Reassess Sales License for Boeing and Airbus Aircraft to Iran

On Wednesday, May 24, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced that the U.S. would reassess its license for the sale of passenger aircraft from Boeing and Airbus to Iran. Mnuchin, who was present at a Q&A session of the House Ways and Means Committee regarding the new U.S. budget proposal, emphasized that he would do "everything in the Treasury Department to impose additional sanctions against Iran, Syria, and North Korea to protect American lives." The announcement of the reassessment of the sales license comes as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated during his Senate confirmation hearing that Washington would review the Iran nuclear deal. Since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in January 2016, Iran has signed three contracts to purchase dozens of passenger aircraft from the Airbus, Boeing, and ATR consortiums, amounting to tens of billions of dollars. So far, fewer than 10 of these aircraft have been delivered to Tehran, but most are expected to be delivered in the coming years. According to a ban imposed since 1995, Western manufacturers have been prohibited from selling aircraft-related equipment and spare parts to Iranian companies. The sale of new aircraft is part of the commitments made by the six global powers to Iran, which agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities under the nuclear deal in July 2015. However, the new U.S. President Donald Trump is one of the main opponents of this agreement and had promised during his election campaign to tear up the JCPOA if he were to take office. Nevertheless, the U.S. State Department informed Congress in late May that Iran has adhered to its commitments under the JCPOA, and thus extended the suspension of nuclear sanctions for another 120 days. At the same time, the U.S. Treasury Department has repeatedly placed Iranian individuals and entities on its new sanctions list due to Tehran's ballistic missile program. Currently, Iran's air fleet consists of 140 passenger aircraft, with an average age of 20 years, highlighting the urgent need for their replacement with new planes. In this context, Airbus is selling 100 aircraft to Iran Air in a $20 billion deal. Why is Airbus happy about Boeing's entry into Iranian airspace? The third new Airbus for Iran has landed at Mehrabad Airport. The year that broke the spell of Iran's aviation industry. What is the Boeing contract with Aseman Airlines like? The European company ATR is selling 20 twin-engine aircraft to Iran. The shadow of Boeing and Airbus over Iran's presidential elections.