Ukrainian Officials Previously Warned Two Sanctioned Companies Linked to Iran

Information received by Radio Farda indicates that Ukrainian officials had previously warned two airlines in the country that were recently sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in connection with Iran about the possibility of being placed on the sanctions list. An official from Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty that the owners of these companies have also consulted with American officials regarding this matter. On Thursday, September 14, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned 11 individuals and entities related to the missile programs of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the activities of the Quds Force outside Iran, and cyberattacks against the United States, which included the names of two Ukrainian airlines. According to the U.S. Treasury, these two airlines, named 'Dart' and 'Khors', provided services to airlines associated with the Quds Force of the IRGC. The Treasury's announcement mentioned their connections with 'Caspian Air' in Iran and 'Al-Nasr' in Iraq, both of which are subject to U.S. sanctions. Findings from Radio Farda show that Khors Airlines has 14 aircraft, including five Airbuses, six Boeings, and three McDonnell Douglas planes, with 10 of them leased to Iranian airlines. According to information listed on the PlaneSpotter website, which catalogs the fleets of various countries, two of this company's Boeing 737s are leased to Caspian Airlines, which is on the U.S. sanctions list. Dart Airlines also has six aircraft, three of which are leased to other companies, but no further information has been published in this regard. Meanwhile, the activity records of this company indicate that its planes were briefly leased to the Iranian airline Zagros and the Syrian airline Cham Wings, the latter of which is also on the U.S. sanctions list. On Friday, Radio Farda learned through the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Ukrainian officials had previously warned these two companies about the potential for being placed on the sanctions list. An official from Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure, which oversees transportation activities in the country, stated in an interview with the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that 'we have repeatedly warned the owners about potential sanctions.' There are 12 airlines operating in Ukraine, and both companies recently added to the U.S. sanctions list are considered small companies primarily engaged in charter activities. Besides Caspian Airlines, Khors Airlines has leased aircraft to Kish Air, Qeshm Airlines, Zagros Air, and Ata Airlines. Caspian Airlines was added to the U.S. sanctions list in September 2014 along with three other airlines: Mahan, Pouya, and Yas. In recent years, Iran has been accused of using passenger companies to 'send weapons, forces, and money to terrorist groups and rogue governments.' Although this accusation has been denied by Iranian officials, it has raised concerns, especially in the U.S. Congress, regarding the sale of new aircraft to Iranian companies. In this context, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted on amendments that prevent the sale of commercial aircraft to Iran. This legislation requires support from the Senate and the signature of the U.S. President to become law. Among those in Congress opposing the sale of new aircraft is Republican Representative Peter Roskam, who has pointed to the Islamic Republic's history of using commercial aircraft to transport weapons and personnel in support of Bashar al-Assad, calling for a halt to the sale of aircraft. Mr. Roskam stated, 'As long as Iran continues to use commercial aircraft to support terrorists and war criminals, Western companies should not be allowed to sell them to Iranian airlines; aircraft that assist in the violent war initiated by [Bashar] Assad.' The U.S. Treasury had previously announced in the spring of this year that it was reviewing the license for the sale of passenger aircraft to Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have assessed any potential ban on the sale of passenger aircraft to Iran as a violation of the JCPOA, and Democrats in Congress have also warned about the effects of such a decision on the nuclear agreement. Iran's air fleet has been severely impacted by stringent sanctions on the sale of passenger aircraft and their parts for decades, but after the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, the then U.S. President Barack Obama delegated authority to his Secretary of State regarding the issuance of licenses for the sale of aircraft to Iran.