US Efforts to Prevent Mahan Airlines from Using Newly Acquired Airbuses

On June 9, US officials told the Wall Street Journal that Washington is trying to prevent Mahan Airlines, which is on the sanctions list for assisting the Quds Force of the IRGC, from using newly purchased Airbuses. Previously, in May, news had emerged about Iran's purchase of nine used Airbus aircraft. Shortly after, a senior Israeli official stated that the purchase of these second-hand passenger planes violates US sanctions, and despite warnings from the Israeli government to the US, the purchase was completed without any obstacles. Now, the Wall Street Journal quotes a senior US official stating that despite recent progress in nuclear negotiations, Washington will continue to "strongly" work to keep existing sanctions in place. Iran and six world powers are negotiating to finalize a comprehensive agreement regarding Tehran's nuclear program, which aims to verify the peaceful nature of the program while finding a way for Tehran to exit sanctions. According to a senior US official, the next round of negotiations is described as "very difficult". The deadline for reaching the final agreement is set for July 1, which is 20 days away. Iranian officials warned this week that if the US attempts to prevent the use of the purchased Airbuses, they would take legal steps. A US official told the Wall Street Journal, "We have identified the planes and have their numbers." This official stated that he has "explicitly" informed the Iranian parties that Washington will prevent their use since Mahan Airlines is under sanctions. The US placed Mahan Airlines on its sanctions list in 2011 for providing services to the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas branch. On May 21, the US Treasury also sanctioned two Iraqi and Emirati companies that assisted Mahan in purchasing the used Airbuses.